The Key
by Rosabell
Summary: AU. Syaoran didn't come to Japan until after Sakura already did everything on her own, for he had no magic. Strangely, he's immune to most magical spells, as they find when they meet him. A history is revealed, and Syaoran is shown to be more than expecte
1. Prologue Chapter 1

The Key

Prologue

He moved in not too long after Eriol left. Sakura only knew this because Tomoyo found out. The boy was said to be very quiet and uncommunicative, but otherwise, he was not so strange, at least not as strange as Eriol. Still, Sakura was very aware that the whole affair with Eriol could have ended in disaster had Eriol any sinister motives, and contrived, this time, to be much wiser about her acquaintances. Her cards make her a more than favorable target now, and while in Japan all were encouraged to be as amiable as possible, only fools would remain naïve at heart. She asked her guardians what they thought of this development.

Kero sensed nothing special about the boy. Yue was naturally more skeptical, but he, too, did not feel anything alarming about the new Chinese neighbor, other than the fact that it seemed the child lived alone—which was something to be examined.

" That's very bizarre." Kero agreed. " But then, isn't that too bizarre to be worth inspecting much? I mean, if he really were after Sakura's cards, wouldn't he be more attentive to such things?"

But the magical world, as it turned out, was much bigger than Sakura realized, and as Yue pointed out, some beings are not at all aware of the habits of humans.

" But he seems normal otherwise." Sakura frowned. " What should we do to find out?"

" Well," Kero flew around the room thoughtfully, " If he is after you, hiding from him won't do you any good. We'd have to come up with something that would only provoke him if he were magical."

" Like what?" Tomoyo asked.

" Well," Sakura suggested, " We can reverse time. Once."

" That's not a bad idea." Kero agreed. " Or we can freeze time, locate him, then spy on him and see what happens when we release time. Assuming it would have any effect on him."

" That sounds like a plan." Sakura agreed.

So it was decided, that instead of waiting around for the newcomer to attack _her, _she would initiate the first step and confrontation, if it comes to that. It could be, even, that this new Chinese boy was a sorcerer but disinterested in her cards, but Sakura could not be too careful.

He lived in one of the apartment buildings downtown and was frequently seen in Penguin Park. While quiet, Sakura knew he usually remains in areas where there were a lot of people, which would be strange behavior for anyone sinister, but it may be because there was an increased chance of him meeting the Card Mistress in such frequented areas. Tomoyo had described him as being of average height, large amber-colored eyes that seemed sad all the time, and brown hair. He was usually dressed in a green t-shirt, but that was not much to go on. At length Tomoyo offered to capture a video of him. Considering how Tomoyo carries her video camera everywhere and shoots everything, it would not be suspicious. So they decided to wait for the weekend, when Tomoyo is able to get a good footage of him, before proceeding to their plan.

" He looks very depressed." Touya had observed. " I wonder if he's abused."

" You think he might be?" Sakura asked, troubled. He certainly looked morose enough for that to be the case. And it may or may not explain why he liked large crowds but never mingles in—large crowds may provide a feeling of safety, but the abuse would prevent him from socializing comfortably. There was certainly something touching about his façade, that appealed to some emotion Sakura could not name, when she saw him in the video. She hoped he was not an enemy.

" We go along with the plan." Kero insisted. " Abused or not, we can find out once we make sure he's no harm to _us._ At least, once we're certain, anyway, maybe then we can help him."

Yue agreed with this. It was not such a harmful test, after all. Simply halt time for a few minutes, and see what happens. No one should get hurt, unless, of course, this Li Syaoran decides that Sakura was fair game; in which case, they were prepared.

Chapter 1

It had been a happy day eleven years ago when Li Yelan was blessed with a son. He was a healthy baby boy, lively, and the most darling thing one could behold. Husband and wife cradled their child to them that night in tender joy.

" He shall be named Zhineng." His father declared. " How about that?"

" Very well." Yelan had acquiesced. She had, after all, named the girls.

The Li sisters were in raptures. The youngest was already thinking of all the spells she could teach her brother, for she was, after all, the best teacher out of the four. After a few days they were to show their little brother to the rest of the clan, and the youngest had been trusted to be the one to carry her brother when her mother needs to rest. Such a responsibility! She, up till now always the youngest of the family, will be bearing a treasured burden. She was incredibly excited. Her older sisters instructed her.

" It's not that hard. Just mind you don't drop him, and to always support his head."

" Yes, the head is important. As a baby, he did not develop muscles there yet."

" When I carried you," Said the second youngest sister, " I always made sure to keep your head upright."

" And don't shake him, by any means!"

" It will make his brain shake back and forth and he could die."

" No sudden moves. Which is fine because you won't be expected to make any sudden moves."

The day came. What festivity! Red eggs, five in each basket, were bestowed on each of the clan's families to announce the birth of a boy. A huge banquet was prepared, and the child presented to the rest of the clan. The smallest sister bore her burden carefully and attentively, which was easy to do. The child was too young to give much trouble, though at length it began crying in hunger, and was promptly returned to its mother. Hopes were high—a young one's entrance into the world is always something to be celebrated. So many gifts, at least one from each member of the family, were bestowed upon the newborn, compliments paid, and the day was filled with much gaiety.

A year passed. Then two. There was something wrong with Li Zhineng. He was incredibly intelligent, and incredibly healthy, but his magical aura was incredibly non-existent.

Their son had no magic.

Li Yelan and her husband sat down one night to discuss. They needed to figure out what to do about the boy's education. All members of the Li clan began their magical and martial arts training at the age of three. What if Zhineng did not develop any magical abilities? How was he to train and study?

" There is not reason he cannot study martial arts." Her husband said.

" I'm more worried about the other children." Yelan admitted. " What if they mistreat him?"

" We will have to work through it as it arises." He replied. " It is a curse he must live with."

At three years old Li Zhineng began his martial arts training. He had realized, comparing himself to his sisters, that his sisters were capable of things he could never dream of doing. He was also warned, as gently as possible, that it was the same with other children. Frightened, nervous, he finished the day downhearted, with the other children finding him strange and too shy and reserved for their liking. On the same day, his father went missing. No one knew what happened. He had left the territory to go out on a business trip. He neither arrived at his destination nor was heard of anywhere else, ever again. Zhineng was pulled from his lessons for a week before he was returned, more morose than before.

The other children realized that he was never present at the magical practices. His pet name was Syaoran, which meant " Little Lad", but not a year later everyone began calling him Syaoran, the " Little Wolf", which sounded the same as Little Lad, followed by howls and yips and barkings, all meant to antagonize him. His sad manner was queer to them, and made the uncomfortable. To dispel their frustrations, they attacked him relentlessly. They asked if he even knew his father's face, or if his father abandoned his family.

" Probably was ashamed."

" Yeah! Ashamed Wolfboy's a loser. Can't even cast a simple levitation spell on a feather. Hey Syaoran, try to lift this!"

" Yeah Wolfboy! Try to lift this!" The children laughed cruelly.

" Can you light the wood Syaoran?"

" Syaoran, use a thunder spell!"

" Yeah Syaoran!"

" Woof! Woof!"

Syaoran swallowed his tears in silence. There was nothing to be done. He lost his father and he would never be capable of the amazing things other children could accomplish. He took comfort in his excellent martial arts skills and his wit and intelligence, and gradually his sensitive heart closed to all ill-comments and remarks.

Strange things happened again. The children were not allowed to use magic on Syaoran because of his handicap, but this did not prevent them from trying to sneak in a few spells. It soon became obvious that a lot of spells did not affect him at all. He could get hurt by attack spells. He could get levitated and thrown. But spells to alter his appearance, his mind, and his motions, did nothing to him. They could not change his hair green. Nor did any of their potions work on him—it seemed he was even immune to poison.

At length, bored, for they could not seem to have any fun with Syaoran without getting into trouble, the rest of the children ignored him. The rest of the adults, though sympathetic, saw no reason to pay their attentions to a child with so little hope, and his morose façade and sad eyes made them uncomfortable, to the point where they disliked the child.

Only his mother and sisters prevented Syaoran from succumbing to his bitterness. At home they showered him with love and affection and pride. However his magic failed him, it cannot be denied that he had an exceptionally intelligent mind. His other accomplishments could even dwarf any accomplishment of the other young sorcerers, magical or not. Syaoran dove into these with a passion. He wanted to prove that, magical or not, he was better than the rest of the clan.

oO

Fine was the summer after his tenth year. The Li Clan received news from sorcerers that a Master of the Clow Cards had been found—in Tomoeda, Japan. It was not something they were particularly interested in, but as this was something that affected everyone in the magical society, it was good to remain informed. Syaoran, knowing that had he been magical, he might have been that master, felt all the accusing disappointment of the clan that awful day. Yelan, angry, declared the whole family was to go out and have fun the next day, and all were given permission to skip school. The next day was a Friday anyway, and everyone, including Syaoran, was glad to have an extended weekend.

Still, the child felt increasingly depressed.

Yelan, hurting as much as her son, offered, " Syaoran, want to stay in _Niang's _bed tonight?"

He was too old, Syaoran had insisted, but this time he nodded eagerly.

" Bring your pillow to my room." Yelan had kissed him on the forehead. He quietly, but eagerly, obeyed.

He slept, cradled in his mother's comforting arms, as Yelan's troubled mind strove to find some way to help her son, to find some destiny, some fate, that would make her son happy. He would have to find some non-magical solution, though, at the same time, she wondered at her son's immunity towards spells and magic in general. Could it be that he was simply a late bloomer?

" _Niang,_" She heard Syaoran whisper, " Why did Heaven give magic to everyone except me?"

" That's not true." Yelan pointed out. " There are plenty of people without magic."

" But everyone in our family does." The poor child sobbed. He had asked this question many times. " How come I didn't get any? Not even a little bit? Did I do something wrong?"

" Of course not." Yelan kissed her son's forehead. " Go to sleep, precious. None of this is your fault." She sighed in empathy. " None of this is your fault."

" Did Father leave because of me?"

" No. Father loved you. And if he is out there right now, he loves you still." She wondered what became of her husband, but the years gave her no answer. She pulled Syaoran tighter to her. If only the fates had been kinder!

Day dawned, the family went out. The sky was clear and blue, and birds chirped cheerfully in the trees. Yelan bought ice cream for her children and they sat in the park bench watching old people practice Taichi on the grass. Syaoran's sisters made conversation while Syaoran listened, silent, as always.

" He is the biggest prick." Said one to the other. " He's so full of himself. So I was like ' you're not having that one over me' and every time he said anything I had a comment back, to the point where he stopped trying. It's weird how guys only respect girls who don't respect them, because yesterday he was telling me about Cho and Miao, and how every time he talks to them he feels like he's above them, but with me he doesn't even try because he regards me as his equal."

" Doesn't sound like he's _your _equal. What did you say?"

" Well, I was thinking just that, so I didn't say anything. Not to mention, with this kind of guy, soon as you start acting nice to him he stops respecting you. I don't really care for his opinion or regard, but why would I be nice to a guy like that?"

Yelan, listening with amusement, murmured, " He certainly seems to be an immature fellow. Do you see him often?"

" Too much." The girl wrinkled her nose. " And now he's always around!"

" Sounds like a Mr. Darcy."

" Mr. Darcy's great! This guy totally isn't!"

" Mother," Syaoran suddenly rose, " I want to go take a look in that game shop. Be right back?"

" Go with Fuutie." Yelan ordered. " And come back when you leave the store."

Fuutie rose obediently and followed Syaoran into the game shop. Syaoran looked at all the toys, but was merely content to simply study them. Fuutie, also curious about the items, wandered to the other side of the shop.

While there, a young man approached the girl.

" Hello, I am new here." The man said to her. " I am told the Li Clan is nearby. Do you happen to know where they are?"

" Oh yes." Fuutie replied. " I am Li Fuutie. And you are, sir?"

" Really?" The man blinked in surprise. " Then I suppose that there is your brother?" He asked, as they had come together.

" Yes. He's my brother, Li Zhineng." Fuutie nodded. " Are you heading there now?"

Something about the man's eyes made Fuutie start. She stepped back warily as a slow grin spread across his face.

" Li Zhineng, you say." And without warning he drew a staff. Fuutie barely had time to cry out before he struck her. Syaoran, turning at her voice, saw her fall. He whirled around to look for help. For some reason, there was no one in the shop. Even the shopkeeper was not present. The man turned to see him. Syaoran instantly saw he was a sorcerer.

He yelled. The man dove after him. Syaoran ran, smashing into the doors—but the doors would not open. Terrified, he ducked as the man swooped to capture him. Bewildered and frightened, Syaoran fought back, kicking the man in the face as hard as he could. He tried to open the doors again as the man tried to recompose himself. They were stuck—the sorcerer had spelled them locked. Syaoran rolled to the side as the sorcerer's spell crashed into where he had been standing. Terrified, Syaoran raced to the back of the shop, but the back exit was shut as well. He turned around.

" There is nowhere to run, young one." The sorcerer held his staff out. " You best come with me quietly."

" What do you want?" Syaoran demanded, struggling to keep his fear under control. _What is happening? Why is this happening? _He glanced over at Fuutie. _Mother, please come after us, please!_

" You. What does it look like?" The man smiled wryly. " Don't make this difficult, boy. Come with me quietly. Your sister is not hurt, and she won't be, if you follow orders."

" Why should I trust you?" Syaoran shot back. _How am I supposed to defeat him?_ Just because Syaoran was immune to most spells, did not mean he could not be hurt by them. Any spell that could hurt objects could hurt him. He wondered where the shopkeeper was. " Why are you doing this?"

" Very well, child." The sorcerer lowered his staff, " I suppose, in debt to humanity, you are owed an explanation before you die.

_Mother, mother, oh why don't I have any magic?!_

" Thousands of years ago, a great sorceress learned all the truths of Life. She wielded great power and lived a long life. Towards the end, however, she grew weary, and decided to pass this knowledge to a disciple. Far and wide, she searched, until she finally found one. When she finally passed this knowledge along, she left this world. And so the knowledge was kept in this way, generation by generation, for many centuries."

_Keep talking._ Syaoran prayed, not seeing where this was going. _The longer you take, the more likely they'll come._

" At length, one decided he could benefit the world if he taught this to more disciples. A poor fool, he meant well, but not everyone is fit to have this knowledge. It passed, finally, to the wrong hands, and was used against others. A war broke out, a magical war of devastating proportions, until finally, ten great sorcerers came together, repressed the others, and locked away the Truth, as it was called, in the form of ten crystals. This, they kept hidden."

" Anything without a lock can be opened in more ways then one. And anything with a lock must have at least one key to open it. The ten great sorcerers decided that having but one way to open the Truth is a lesser evil than having many ways. They constructed a lock. They constructed a key. No one knows what it looks like, or what form it takes—until now."

Feeling a horrible premonition, Syaoran backed away as the sorcerer approached.

" Come." The sorcerer held out his hand, almost kindly. " If you follow me quietly, you will feel nothing at all. I promise."

" What are you talking about?" Syaoran demanded furiously, tears of indignation pooling in his eyes. " You got the wrong person, Mister! I don't even have magic!"

" All the better." The sorcerer replied impassively. " Makes my job so much easier. A Key, after all, is meant to be used. It can't use itself. That would be bad, wouldn't it? Come. I don't have all day."

" You're crazy!"

" Perhaps." The man responded. " But I won't have the Truth unleashed to cause havoc again. I'm giving you one last chance. Come with me quietly. Don't make me force you."

Suddenly, behind him, Fuutie struck. She had woken and heard the entire thing. The man stumbled away.

" Syaoran! Get behind me!" Fuutie cried, and she prepared another spell. The man dove to dodge. Syaoran raced behind her, shuddering.

" Don't you dare mess with my brother!" Fuutie cried. " Men Fang!" She shot her hand at the doors. They smashed outwards. Fuutie grabbed Syaoran's wrist and pulled, dragging him out. " Mother!" She cried out. " Mother! Help!"

Yelan, not far off, shot to her feet in alarm. Fuutie raced to her side, turning around and pointing, " He was going to hurt Syaoran!"

But while the sorcerer could be seen through the now open doors, he did not follow them out. There were too many people. According to the Ancient Magical Code, magic must not be exposed to the non-magical society in any way that would have lasting effects. He could not wage battle against Li Yelan and hope to cleanse the memories of every witness of the day afterwards. With a grim look, shadows overlapped him and he disappeared, leaving the bewildered Li's to wonder who he was.


	2. Chapter 2

The Key

Chapter 2

It had all descended to chaos from there.

Li Yelan took her children back to the Li Province. She called a meeting with the elders as the sisters took care of Fuutie and Syaoran. Syaoran, terribly shakened by what happened that day, refused to speak at all. Fuutie had related everything that happened while she was awake, and gave her best description of what the man had looked like.

The Li elders had nothing to offer, except to suggest research. Distressed, Syaoran's mother felt time was of essence, and set to work immediately.

There were plenty of keys, and plenty of great sorceresses. It was not until a week passed that Yelan finally came across something that might be a clue. It spoke of a great sorceress, known by many names but most often referred to as the Green Sorceress, who discovered the secret to Magic and all its mysteries. It was apparently so dangerous that eventually the knowledge was locked away into the form of ten crystals, imprisoned by blood and life. The key was to be an essence of purity, and all that was recorded was it was of a very discrete magic.

" What could make anything think it is Zhineng?" She shook her head. " What could make anyone? He has no magical aura! All he does is…resist magic."

_Discrete magic._

" And," Feimei pointed out solemnly, " Perhaps it was what took Father."

" It's impossible." Yelan declared. " Syaoran is not to go out from now on, until we find this crazy sorcerer and teach him what it means to mess with a Li."

Feimei was not so sure.

Outside, a raven alighted on a branch. It watched as Feimei and her mother left the building and walked along the path. When they were out of sight, it flew off the branch again and landed on a roof, and looked through the window as Yelan embraced her son.

" Don't be frightened." Yelan promised Syaoran. " We'll figure something out, alright?"

Syaoran nodded.

The raven flew away. It sailed over the city to a hotel window, which was open, and flying through, it landed on the bed.

" Well?"

" He had been after that boy." The raven replied.

" Oh?"

" The one without any magic. That famous little one, Li Zhineng."

" Ah. His son. Perhaps that was what killed him."

" What should we do, Mistress?"

" We must confirm that he is, indeed, the Key to the secret of magic." She replied. " We will appeal to their arrogance."

" How?"

" The Li Clan believes too much in their repute." She replied. " They trust others will not harm them based on that alone. Only fools would help them in a contest as this. Go to the Ri Clan. Ensure they get this message." A pale hand lifted, holding an envelope.

Taking it into its beak, the raven flew off.

oO

As expected, Yelan grew increasingly uneasy as the hours passed. Finally, she decided to contact her maternal aunt, Ri Danli.

" Was he?" Danli had exclaimed in surprise. " Well…there's one way to find out if he really is this Key."

" What? You know about it?"

" I heard of it, once. Story of the ten crystals sealed inside another dimension, and only one Key, and only one, can unlock the gate to that dimension to fetch them. The nature of the key was not known, but there were several hints that it was a spirit, and occasionally appears as humans. But because it is so secret, the humans are nothing remarkable, so no one was ever discovered. If Syaoran is the key, however, they say one of the signs is that he'd have is that when a white peony is presented to him with a black peony, if he touches both at the same time, within a week they would switch color."

" What?" Yelan blinked. " That makes no sense! Syaoran does not have any magic!"

" White is for yang, and black is for yin. If he truly is the key to another dimension, these forces will respond, magic or not."

" I see…" Yelan blinked. " I hope he is not. This would mean trouble."

" Mm." Danli agreed. " My best wishes to you, then."

" Yes. Thank you, Aunt."

She wasted no time conducting the experiment, much to the confusion of her son, who, after getting over the fright he had that day, could not understand why his mother was being so obsessed over something that was obviously false. Obediently, he followed his mother's orders, ran his fingers over the peonies at the same time, and watched, puzzled, as his mother set the flowers and their vases on the windowsill.

It did not take a week for Yelan to realize her son was passing this wretched test. By the second day, the white peony had become gray and the black peony lost its color, but when Yelan felt their petals neither were wrinkled or dry. There was nothing in the water to account for this.

She watched, despairingly, as the black peony became white and the white peony black.

What now? Syaoran was still the same. Even as this Key, he still had no powers to defend himself. And just what would it take, for this Key to work?

_Would they have to kill him?_

The distraught mother went to her cousins-in-law for help. The Li Clan, amazed and astonished, told her to conduct the experiment a second time. Syaoran was once again the center of attention. He had learned to ignore such hostility before until it died down. To be the object of scrutiny again was unbearable. He could not understand why all of the sudden the Clan seemed to be tormenting him yet again. The children, laughing, made fun of him.

" They're kicking you out, Little Wolf."

" Yeah, they're kicking you out!"

" Why else would they be worried about how you treat a bunch of flowers?"

" You better get packing, Wolfboy!"

Mortified, for this had been a fear he had harbored for years, Syaoran asked his mother if this was the case. She had not told him what happened to the first peonies. What kind of test was it? Was it to see if he deserved being in the clan?

" What kind of nonsense is this?" Yelan responded angrily. She had known the children abused her son, and this had caused a rift between her and their parents. " This is nothing of the sort. Those children don't know anything, and if they heard it from their parents they don't know anything either. This was between me and the elders. No one else was admitted to our confidence. Don't you listen to a word they say."

" But could it happen?" Syaoran asked, dreading the answer. " Could they kick me out of the clan?"

" You are the son of one of their own." Yelan replied. " And I am the daughter of Clow Reed. See if they dare! No matter what, you belong here! And when you grow up you'll show those brats that in the end, magic or not, you are better than they are!"

_How?_ Syaoran thought, confused. All his life, the measure of one's worth had been magic, sometimes even more so than intelligence and wisdom. He knew the use of magic was beyond him. How could he ever prove himself more worthy than the rest of them?

The week passed, and sure enough, the one labeled white, under the scrutiny of the elders in case Yelan chose to switch the flowers, slowly became black, and the one labeled black, slowly became white. There was no doubt that even if Syaoran was not this Key, there was something more to him than just natural resistance to magic. But the elders were reluctant to believe Syaoran was the Key. It would mean trouble, more trouble, perhaps, than even the clan can handle.

But while the elders were reluctant to believe this, observers, who had studied the clan for the last two weeks, were convinced, especially the Ri Clan, who, upon receiving notice from the Orb Mistress, and Danli's phone conversation, were deeply interested in this child that had been absolutely nothing in their eyes before. However, because Li Yelan was the daughter of one of their own, they remained, watching, until the Li clan was attacked.

Magical spells sizzled in the air, and lights flashed. Li Yelan ordered her daughters to protect Syaoran while she plunged into the battle with her husband's family, now hers. The elders demanded the reason for this attack, which was succinctly given. " Hand over the Key!"

The Li clan was formidable, and so was Li Yelan. The battle was soon over, but more was to come. It became impossible to hide the truth from Syaoran, who was yet ignorant.

" Don't worry, my child." Yelan assured him. " The clan protects you, as do I. We will not let you fall into greedy hands."

But greedy hands there were many. The attacks became relentless, and there grew cooperation between their enemies. The Ri Clan offered their services and the Li Clan accepted. After all, what could pass between two such families, joined by matrimony, other than good will? They managed to ward the sorcerers off, with increasing difficulty.

" This cannot be borne." Danli told Yelan. " You are sitting ducks. Zhineng is a sitting duck. You best get him out of Hong Kong."

" Where?" Yelan asked. " I don't know where to bring him, if indeed, running is the right answer."

" You face the wrath of the world." Danli told her, speaking the truth with evil intent. " So long as your son is alive, he will be attacked. What will you do, when you are gone? He has no means of defending himself."

" The clan will defend them."

" Will they?"

" He is one of their own!"

" Perhaps, in your generation. In his, he is an outcast, a poor fool without magic who cannot hope to mingle in their ranks. Think carefully, dear niece."

Yelan did think carefully. She was naïve—born from the union of the powerful Ri clan and descendant of Clow Reed, her pride and dignity made her blind to the petty evils outside her ranks. Betrayal seemed too unlikely for someone of her status. No one could turn against someone of her reputation and blood. But, to her credit, she decided to appeal to blood and family without the knowledge of either the Ri or the Li clan. Out of Hong Kong? There were two places they could go. One was in London, where the half-English reincarnation of Clow Reed, Hiirigaziwa Eriol, resided. The other was Tomoeda, where the new Card Mistress and her guardians resided. The former was more trustworthy, but the latter was more powerful. If she must seek aid, she must seek aid that counts. And surely, Clow Reed's Judge would not choose an evil master!

She managed, that evening, by the blessing of Fate, to secure, inconspicuously, an apartment in Tomoeda. The apartment was already furnished with the bare furniture and necessities, which in the end proved useful for her son. All this, tactfully, was kept from everyone but herself. As she planned this, Syaoran, in the safety of his own home, saw a raven fly in, snatch his father's lace sword, which was in its lace form, from the table, and fly out.

" Hey!" Syaoran shouted, unassuming, and raced out of the house. The raven remained within his view and he chased it. " Give that back!"

" Syaoran!" Feimei called as he raced past, " Where are you going?"

" That bird stole Father's sword!" Syaoran yelled. " Help me get it!"

It was too far away to aim a spell. Feimei followed her brother in pursuit. But the raven lured them out of the province, and the Orb Mistress waited in the darkness.

" Ah. You've done better than expected." The sorceress glanced at Feimei and Syaoran. " Two for the price of one."

" What do you want with my father's sword?" Syaoran demanded. " Give that back! It is useless to you!"

" Your father's, eh?" The sorceress lifted the lace. As the moonlight glanced on the red threads, a memory bloomed in her mind. " Ah. So you are _his _son."

" Who are you?" Feimei demanded. " What do you want?"

" Valiant man, your father." The Orb Mistress had replied. " He died in _such _agony, but never once did he reveal where the Key actually was, when he so _obviously _had it. But, perhaps, he did not _know _he had the key, if today is any indication."

The Orb Mistress had tortured Syaoran's father, had murdered him. As horror filled the children, the sorceress laughed.

" Ah, more fool him! I shall have the Key yet!" And summoning her orbs, she tried to trap Syaoran.

Syaoran was lucky he passed Feimei, for Feimei was a match for the sorceress. Still, the two did not survive without injuries. The raven attacked Syaoran with magic, wounding him and forcing Feimei to make her first kill in her young life.

oO

Woe to Yelan—when the clan finally had enough, they called her to inform her. The elders were responsible to the whole of the clan. They cannot risk many lives for one who is not even human.

" What do you mean?" Yelan demanded dangerously. " He is as human as any one of you! More so, perhaps!"

" Again," The elder insisted, " We cannot sacrifice the entire clan for one boy."

" So you will abandon him then!" Yelan was outraged. " One of your own! Your flesh and blood! What use is a family if it does not support the individual?"

" Li Yelan," The council warned. " You are the bride of one of our own. You bore us children. For this, we treat you well. You tread on dangerous ground. Because of _your _child, we are forced to fight. Your son cannot even help us. We must do what is best for all, and not just for one."

They did not move. Syaoran had always been dispensable in their eyes. They had no desire to use the Key to unlock any mysteries, and so he was completely useless to them and nothing but trouble. Once this was made clear to her, Li Yelan resolved to retreat to her mother's clan, the Ri.

She took Syaoran and her daughters before either Syaoran or Feimei fully recovered. Danli was more than happy to shelter her niece. Syaoran, physically weakened, and Feimei, magically weakened and mentally distraught, did not adapt well to this change of scene. They could not speak, especially Syaoran, upon learning that he was the reason his father died. Their misery touched Danli no more than the rest of the Ri clan.

It was again, to their luck, that Yelan printed the boarding passes for herself and her five children before telling the Ri clan of their plans to move to Tomoeda. On the surface, the clan approved. As soon as the family retired, Danli and the Ri elders prepared their attack.

That night, they struck. Bewildered and shocked, none of them anticipated such a blow from their own family. Li Yelan fought them off with the best skills she had as sorceress. Syaoran's oldest sister had enough presence of mind to take her brother to safer areas, where she told Syaoran to leave.

With dread, Syaoran asked why he had to go. Was he in the way? Was he bringing them too much trouble?

" No, Syaoran!" His sister hugged him, but there was no time. " We have to hold them off. Take this money, and take your boarding pass and visa." She handed them to him. " Go take a cab and get out of here. Once we defeat them we'll join you at the airport. Go! I have to help Mother!"

" No! I won't leave you!" Syaoran cried. _You're the only ones I have!_

" You have to!" His sister shouted, " I have to help them! You're the one they're after! If you get out of here they won't hurt us, but you must go! You must go! Be a good boy and listen to your sister! Get out of here!"

Poor Syaoran! He could not have helped anyway, and trusting in his sister's good judgment, he fled. The taxi driver gave him a queer look upon noticing how breathless and frightened he was, but nevertheless drove him to the airport. Once there, Syaoran waited.

And waited.

And waited.

oO

So it was that, while in Tomoeda, Sakura was enjoying the best of what magic could offer, in Hong Kong, Syaoran experienced the worst. Never before had he experienced more self-loathing than those days before he finally boarded the plane. Alone, without family, and only the money his sister gave him, he knew that they will never come for him, and it was his own ineptitude that caused this. It took only the greatest will of his character, so tested and trained by the many years of abuse from his cousins, for him to even be willing to board the plane for Tomoeda, to accord to his mother's wishes.

He found the apartment in Japan with some skillful questions based on what he remembered of his mother's descriptions. Tomoeda was not a big city, fortunately, and Fate deemed to deal him these small gifts in between his many misfortunes. He went through these days numbly, helped only by small luck and his great intelligence.

When he finally stepped inside his apartment, taking in the sparse furniture meant for five people, the books left on the shelf by the previous resident, the overwhelming emptiness of the place, the eleven-year-old child crumpled to the floor and wept.


	3. Chapter 3

The Key

Chapter 3

The cherry blossoms were all dead. They had bloomed late this year because the spring had been rather cold, but now summer was too hot. Sakura looked a little despondently at one of the trees, now covered completely with leaves.

" This is it." Tomoyo said happily. " Can I come along?"

" Iie." Kero responded dryly.

Tomoyo was not surprised. They had gone through this before.

" Gomen ne, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura smiled at her best friend and cousin. " But there's really nothing that will go on, not to mention it's probably not safe for you."

" It wasn't safe for me before. It all turned out alright."

" Hai, but this is different." Sakura pointed out. " This time we're kind of doing the provoking."

Which, Tomoyo could not deny, was actually something they should be mildly worried about.

The two brief years had changed Sakura dramatically, to the point where she was almost regarded as queer in school. By herself, with only Kero as her guide and Tomoyo for moral support, she had managed to collect all the cards through her own quick thinking and foresight. She cared deeply for her cards; it was hard not to, they were all very endearing in their own way. But the danger they kept presenting made Sakura more wary than usual. She often wished, during some of the captures, that someone was there to help her, or at least, even if she does not end up taking the card, that someone was there to at least solve the problem, and stop the card from destroying everything. However, working on her own had its advantages. One, that she had succeeded, gave her a boost of confidence in her own abilities that she would not have otherwise had. Another, that the training had made her thought processes faster, also served her in other areas. She would never forget how the Final Judgment ended. Kaho Mizuki later told her that she had been prepared to use the magic bell to help Sakura, but Sakura ended up never needing Kaho's help. Though her favorite card was Windy, once that did not work (and she really should have expected that) she used the Change Card to force Yue into his false form, and _then _used the Windy to save him from certain death. Sakura had pointed out (with much attitude, as she was annoyed) to a slightly irritated Yue and Kero that she had been considering using the Sweet Card to change Yue into a gingerbread man, but she was deathly afraid that it would mean Yukito would always remain in such a form, so if Yue harbored any ill feelings, he ought to remember that she could have done a lot worse.

" So how does Time work, exactly?" Touya asked. " I mean, if when you have magic you could sense that you were repeating a day, how come I did not realize this?"

Time had been captured in a unique way. It took Sakura about two 'days' to figure out what was happening. At the end of the second day she had traced the Time Card to the radio tower and, once Time discovered her, was forced to relive the day for a third time. When she tried to deal with the Time Card again, she had attempted to use the Shield Card, which worked. But she was at a complete loss as to how she was supposed to capture the spirit when she was essentially trapped in the shield. Her solution was to mix Shield and Mirror and reverse the function of the shield so that Time was also trapped in the shield—with reflection. Its influence was cut off and its own spell reflected on itself, causing it to reverse. Sakura had to hurry to capture it before it unmade itself.

" You weren't exposed to magic that much." Yukito replied. " At the time, Sakura's been dealing with Clow Cards for a while."

" So, suppose this kid's magical, but he's not experienced?"

" Then he's no threat."

" Okay. I guess I can take that."

" And we're off!" Sakura announced. " Yukito-san?"

" Good luck." Touya said doubtfully. " And be careful."

" Hai!" Sakura chirped. " Hopefully I can befriend this guy without worrying about getting buried by sheep."

Heading out into the hot day, they began walking to the park, with Kero perched on Sakura's shoulder in his false form.

" Feels weird to be the one initiating something." Sakura said thoughtfully.

" Eriol had warned that we might be facing some enemies early on." Kero pointed out.

" Hai." Sakura nodded, then, " And considering he looks like a kid too, I guess I shouldn't judge by appearances."

Her resolve rejuvenated, Sakura led the way to the park. The stranger sat on the same bench he always sat, at the center of the crowd. He was holding a book, but he looked more like he was staring at the pages rather than actually reading. He looked thin and pale, like he was sick, and in his down-turned face there was that expression of despair and fear mixed in one.

" Doesn't look like he's out to get anyone." Kero noted. " Unless he's putting on an act?"

" Why would he put on an act?" Sakura wondered. " Who's there to watch?"

" As we're here, we should go through with it, just in case." Yukito pointed out. " After all, using the Time Card merely to freeze, or to reverse a few minutes, would not hurt anyone, and perhaps after he passes the test, we can contrive to help him however we can."

" Right." Sakura agreed. She drew the card and summoned her staff, taking care no one noticed, which was difficult because Li had chosen a place where there were actually a lot of people. Time screeched to a halt, and everyone froze. For a moment it seemed nothing happened, but just as Sakura was about to cancel the spell, the boy blinked.

" Nani?" Sakura whispered in the silence. How was that possible? Did he really?

As if to confirm, the boy turned his head and looked up. Everyone else had frozen into their positions, but it was obvious that, somehow, the boy had not.

oO

Syaoran froze.

Panic welled in his chest, and his vision blurred from a mix of terror and tears of fright. He looked around slowly, heart thundering, and perceived that indeed, everything was still.

Someone had discovered where he was. And all that effort to hide in the crowds was for naught. Of course his pursuers would come up with something around the Code of Magic. They could do whatever they wanted to him so long as Time is stopped and no one else can perceive it. He tried to think rationally, but fear seemed to drive all thoughts from his mind. He tried to stop his body from shaking. Maybe his pursuers had not discovered yet. He should pretend he was affected as well, it would decrease his chances of discovery.

From where they hid, the boy's expression morphed into such an expression of despair that it was obvious he had no intrigue in mind regarding Sakura's cards. But the fact that the boy was not in the least affected at all, while Sakura herself had been affected by Time as a Clow Card, was very puzzling. Taking pity on his obvious fright, Sakura cancelled the spell. They watched his reaction.

As life resumed in the park, Syaoran glanced around again, this time completely disoriented. He tilted a little to the side as if about to faint, but managed to support himself with a shaking arm. Had it been his imagination? Was he so stressed that his mind had played tricks on him? But why would Time stop, and then resume, for no apparent reason?

Unless Time had been stopped simply to identify him.

While these thoughts raced through his mind, Yukito suddenly stepped from where they hid, guided by Yue's desires. The moon guardian was intrigued by what was happening. He sensed no evil from the child, only extreme distress, but he wanted to know the nature of it before he exposed Sakura to him. Waving Sakura back discretely, he approached the boy, who was still looking around as if waking from a dream.

" Hey," Yukito greeted good-naturedly, " What are you reading there?"

Syaoran's color had turned white through the course of events, and blood had finally been returning to his face when it was drained away again upon Yukito's approach. His eyes were guarded, and his composure was exceptional for a child his age, but there was no way Syaoran could hide how his face became almost gray with alarm. He could not speak, and managed to move the book so that Yukito could see the cover.

" Cool." Yukito remarked amiably. " Watashi wa Tsukishiro Yukito des. You can call me Yukito." This was said by Yukito and not Yue, as Yukito was much more sympathetic to the boy's terror. " I live not too far from here. What is your name? Are you new here?"

Syaoran managed to nod. His mouth had gone so dry that when he opened it his tongue and throat hurt. He closed it again to try to swallow, but he was too frightened to come up with anything for that.

" Are you alright?" Yukito asked. " You look a bit unwell. Where are your parents? Are they here with you?"

Parents. His father had died for him, and his mother and sisters had followed. Syaoran was all alone in the world. How he wished he knew where the Clow Mistress was, or that she could be trusted at all. Bursting into tears as the horror of that night overcame him, Syaoran shot to his feet and started running. He ignored Yukito's shouts. He had to get out of there!

As the boy raced off, Yukito considered the exchange. The others joined him as the boy disappeared from sight. There was no doubt in their minds that he was no harm to them, but the question now was, what was _he _afraid of?

" What should we do?" Sakura asked. This was not one of the cards trying to escape her influence—this was a troubled human being. " Should we follow?"

" Iie." Kero shook his head. " Bad idea. Not to mention, we don't know what his problem is."

" We ought to help." Sakura frowned. " He looks like he's lost. Maybe he's just coming into his magic and doesn't know how to deal."

" It seems more," Yukito replied, " Like someone's after him."

They were silent at this.

" I'll see what is going on." Yue said through Yukito. " You guys better get back. I don't think he's going to appreciate us ganging up on him."

" Well, if you don't want to intimidate him, you better get Sakura to go instead." Kero pointed out.

" Yukito-san isn't intimidating either." Sakura pointed out. " And in fact, he's even less so. No one can even sense Yue in this form. Whatever is after him may be smart enough to mask their appearances. I kind of doubt he'd be reassured if I were to suddenly pop by. And Yukito kind of has an excuse by now, he already talked to him. I'm just a random girl who shouldn't even know he exists. Maybe I can give Eriol-kun a call, as him what's wrong."

" Do." Yukito agreed. " Tonight I'll pay our friend a visit."

oO

Syaoran hurried into the apartment and shut the door, breathing hard. The book dropped from his hand to the floor. He slid down, feeling like he was going to faint.

_What now?_

There was no question he blew it with the Tsukishiro guy. He only hoped Tsukishiro was not anyone especially powerful. Without magic, there was no way to tell. He buried his face in his hands, and remained there for hours without moving.

At the Kinomotos, the group arrived and Sakura headed upstairs to call Eriol, despite the long distance rates. Yue thought for a long time about what the best way to approach this boy should be. Sakura described to Eriol what happened.

" Do you know what is going on?" Sakura asked.

" Hm." Eriol replied thoughtfully. " I am not sure. I know that there has been a lot of activity recently regarding something of great significance, but while there was certainly a heightened level of intensity, such things occur all the time. I cannot account for this. His name is Li Syaoran, you say?"

" Hai."

" I wonder…Sakura, I will call you right back. There is something I must find out."

" I think I should go to him honestly." Yue said to Kero while this was happening.

" In your true form?"

" Hai."

" Are you sure that's a good idea?"

" I think it would serve to alarm him less, if he feels there is nothing more to what he sees."

Kero was silent at this.

Yue remained until Sakura received Eriol's call, which was half an hour later.

" Sakura-san," Eriol's voice held urgency, " Sakura-san, please find that boy."

" Hoe?" Sakura blinked. " What's wrong?"

" I can't explain now, it would take too much time. Please get him. He is not to be left alone."

" …Hai," Sakura blinked again. She hung up. " We're to get him. Eriol seems worried."

" Get him?" Kero blinked.

" Get him here." Sakura clarified. " He doesn't want him left alone."

" Well does he actually live by himself?"

" Either way, I think we should do what he says." Sakura decided. " He probably knows more about this business than we do, being more in tune with magic."

oO

The doorbell rang.

Syaoran started. He was still leaning against the door. In the darkness, fear returned. He froze again. Heart pounding, he slowly rose to his feet and looked through.

There were two people. One was a girl about his age. The other was…

Syaoran jerked back and tripped, falling on the floor. He remained still.

" He's in there." He heard the girl say.

" He's not going to open the door."

" Li-san?" The girl called. " Li-san? Are you in there? We're here to help you."

_No…No…_

Syaoran was not opening the door. He looked behind him to see if he could use the fire escape to flee quietly. It was so dark outside! He hurried to the window, opening it with an effort and climbing out.

Outside the door, Yukito frowned.

" Use your key to unlock the door. I don't think he's going to open it." Kero suggested.

" You sure that's a good idea?"

" Well, he's not opening, and we have to get him, right?"

" There must be a better way of doing this." Sakura protested.

Yukito pressed his ear to the door. " I don't hear anything in there."

" It's weird that we don't sense his aura."

" Mm."

" It's too quiet in there. Hey Li-san?" Yukito called again. No answer. Syaoran had gone down the fire escape.

" Open the door." Yukito suggested. " Use your key."

He was being strangely insistent, Sakura noticed. Without protesting further, she took off her pendant and inserted into the lock.

The apartment was empty. The open window was testimony to how that happened. Yukito leaned out. " Li-san!" He called out.

Syaoran jerked his head up, terror flooding into his mind. Desperately he tried to descend faster, slipping and sliding along the way. Ignoring the flares of pain, he jumped down and landed on the ground, and barely registering his injured knees, he took off in a run.

Yukito pulled back. " He's running away." With a flare of light he transformed into Yue. " I'm going after him."

" We'll follow." Sakura called back, and summoned the Fly as Yue sailed through the window more gracefully than she could attempt yet.

_Too dark, it is dark, late, how did it get so late all of the sudden? _Racing for his life, Syaoran's knees finally gave and he crashed into the ground. Rolling around desperately, he percieved, to his horror, the most incredible sight—an angel, glowing and beautiful, flying like Doom or Death, coming straight for him.

_I can't run anymore!_ Syaoran thought desperately. _I must fight!_

As Yue descended, he stretched his arms out to help the boy up. Syaoran slammed his hand into his torso. Though the force was weakened by the child's awkward position on the ground, he had been desperate enough that the blow still sent Yue backwards a few feet.

_Kami._ Yue thought. _That boy is strong!_

The pain in his knees was unbearable. For a moment Syaoran feared he split his kneecaps. He elbowed the winged spirit as it tried to grab him again, but this time Yue was prepared. He blocked the small elbow and captured it. Syaoran tugged desperately.

" Let me go!" He cried, in Chinese. " Let me go, please, what do you want?!"

A little startled by this exclamation, Yue replied, also in Chinese, " Child, calm down. We are not here to harm you."

Syaoran burst into tears. He could not run, he could not fight back, and there was no way he could believe this stranger was possibly telling the truth when his family had turned against his mother and sisters. The horror of the past month rushed to him like a tidal wave.

Yue, uncomfortable, gathered the child up. " Are you hurt?" He asked, noting how the boy's legs were unresponsive. He adjusted his hold and stood, lifting the child. He did not mind carrying this boy.

" Yue!" Sakura caught up, Kero flying at her shoulder. " Is he okay?" She asked.

" I think he injured his legs." Yue said thoughtfully. " And I don't think he knows Japanese."

Syaoran was actually fluent enough in Japanese, but he did not refute Yue's remark. His tears had stopped the instant he saw Kero, who, in his false form, looked like a teddy bear, and in his miserable state Syaoran was desperate for anything that could calm his fears. Girl his age, with a stuffed animal. Even if he is currently at the mercy of what looked like the Angel of Death, they could not be all that bad, right?

" Hey kid," Kero, realizing the attention the strange boy was paying to him, flew to settle on Syaoran's chest. " You okay?"

Suddenly, Yue coughed. " He lands a good blow, for sure. We should get him back to your house and ask Eriol what he wants with him."

This alarmed Syaoran yet again. " No." He pleaded, grabbing Yue's shoulders, " Let me go!"

" Easy." Yue crouched down so the child would not feel like he was completely overpowered. The lowered height did seem to make the boy feel better. " We are not here to hurt you."

" Then what are you here for?" Syaoran looked at Sakura's staff with wide eyes, then at Kero, anywhere other than the intimidating Angel of Death.

" You should tell him who we are," Sakura said intuitively, " After all, it's kind of unfair that we know his name and he doesn't know ours."

Setting Syaoran on his knee, but still maintaining a hold on him, Yue introduced as gently as he could. " My name is Yue. I am the Moon Guardian of Clow Cards, now Sakura cards. This is Kerberus, the Sun Guardian, in his false form. Over there, is our master, Kinomoto Sakura, the Card Mistress. I assure you, we are here to help you."

Syaoran stilled at this. Yue? Kerberus? Names he had heard from childhood, between the jeers and sneers of other cousins. Clow Reed's famous guardians. Could it really be? " Who's Eriol?" He asked, wondering why they were taking orders from this stranger if they're already so powerful.

Yue paused at this testimony to Syaoran's understanding of Japanese. " He is the reincarnation of Clow Reed. He sent us to find you."

" Is he alright?" Sakura asked again.

Syaoran buried his face in Yue's shoulder, relaxing. At any other time, being so free with the famous Moon Guardian would have been terrifying, but Syaoran was too relieved that he had found friends to even think his liberties were inappropriate. He did not even have the strength to entertain the idea that the Card Mistress might betray him, just like his family. After so many days on his own, he simply could not stress himself further.

" I think he's calm enough now." Yue remarked.

oO

" Uh-huh," Touya exclaimed dubiously, as he directed Yue to the couch to set the new boy. " So I guess, instead of just testing, he took it to be a full out attack."

" He's completely alone, as far as we can tell." Sakura told Touya.

" Skinny little waif." Touya observed. " I'll go heat something for him."

Syaoran watched this exchange with weary astonishment. He did not move from the position Yue set him, awkward as it was. His eyes followed Touya as Touya headed to the kitchen.

" Hey, you'll be alright." Sakura patted his hand kindly. " I'm going to call Eriol-kun."

Eriol released a heavy sigh of relief when Sakura dutifully informed him that they found Syaoran.

" I am not sure what is happening, exactly." He told Sakura. " But I have made a few calls, and I was told that Li Yelan and her four daughters are dead, and their son, Li Zhineng, has gone missing."

" Are those his family?" Sakura asked.

" Yes." Eriol sighed wearily, again. " Li Yelan is a descendant of Clow Reed. About eleven years ago Li Zhineng was born. They said that while he seemed to be immune to the effects of a lot of magical spells, he has no magic of his own to speak of. Seven years ago, her husband mysteriously disappeared. Now, lately, there had been increased attacks on the Li Clan, which was peculiar because the Li Clan is a powerful group and well known in the magical society. I am not yet certain why they have been attacking the Li Clan, but I know that Li Yelan somehow went to the Ri Clan for some reason, and she was found dead there, along with her four daughters."

Yue, meanwhile, was being the kindest he had ever been to anyone.

" Are you being chased?" He asked the boy. The child nodded.

" Do you know why they are chasing you?"

The boy shook his head obstinately.

Yue sensed a lie, but he did not want to frighten the child. Li Syaoran had no reason to trust them, after all.

" Here," Touya called, " Get him over here." He set the table.

As Yue helped Syaoran to the chair, Syaoran stared at the food. Meager though it was, it was the first time he really ate since leaving Hong Kong. He was not sure where to start anymore.

" So we should look for Li Zhineng as well?"

" Iie. Li Zhineng _is _Li Syaoran. Syaoran was his nickname, I believe."

" I see." Sakura looked out the window, troubled. " He lost both his parents and his sisters. That's so sad…" There were a number of times, indeed, when her brother and father were in danger of getting hurt. Actually, Touya was hurt before, by the Clow Cards. But the cards never seemed dangerous enough that they would kill anyone on purpose. She wondered what she would feel if either of them were in danger of—she did not even want to imagine it.

" Sakura, before I head back to Tomoeda I must find out why he is being hunted." Eriol told her. " If you could be troubled to take care of him for me,"

" Of course." Sakura instantly agreed. " Even if Otou-san doesn't want it, Yukito-san can take care of him. We wouldn't mind. Just make sure you figure out what we're dealing with. I feel so bad for him!"

" Ask him what he knows." Eriol suggested. " Call me if you learn anything."


	4. Chapter 4

The Key

Chapter 4

Yue, or Yukito, did not seem to know what to do with Syaoran once he learned of his lineage.

" Well, if Eriol insists." Kero fluttered about. " I see no reason why we can't keep an eye on him for now. Although, why can't the Li clan take care of him?"

" I don't know, actually." Sakura admitted. " He said recently the Li clan kept getting attacked. I think they must have sent him out to keep him safe."

" Fat lot of good that did." Kero replied angrily. " What was the Ri clan doing?"

Syaoran wished they would stop talking about this like he was not there. Unfortunately, he was too much in awe of being surrounded by three legendary figures, even if one of them looked to be around his age, to protest. Not to mention, Yukito kept staring at him, not even looking away when Syaoran met his eye.

His knees throbbed. They were starting to swell. Touya was getting some ice for him. While Sakura and Kero continued talking, the older boy came back with two ice packs and pressed them on his knees. It was agonizing, but Syaoran kept silent.

" Tadaima!" Fujitaka called, closing the door behind him. All activity stopped at his entrance. A little startled, Fujitaka noticed Yukito sitting next to a boy he did not recognize, with Touya pressing one of the ice packs on the boy's knee. Kero had dropped on the ground at his entrance. " Ano…everything alright?"

" Otou-san!" Sakura beamed.

" Hey, this is more like it." Fujitaka smiled. " How are you kids? And who are you?"

" This is Li Syaoran." Sakura introduced. " He's a new friend—he hurt his legs while coming here, so," She gestured at the ice packs.

" Ah."

" Hai. He moved in from Hong Kong a couple of days ago." Touya supplied.

" I see. How are you finding Tomoeda?"

" It's very nice." Syaoran managed to sound sincere and agreeable. " You have a nice house."

Fujitaka found the last statement very endearing. " Well, it's nice because of Touya and Sakura. They keep the place usually, anyway. Have you guys eaten yet?"

" I haven't." Sakura replied. " Oni-chan already ate."

" What about Li-san?" Fujitaka offered. " And Yukito-san?"

" We ate already." Yukito replied, even though he actually did not.

" I'll whip up something." Fujitaka was setting his bags at the door. " Sakura, what would you like?"

Sakura headed to the kitchen.

" So what?" Touya asked. " He stays here, or what?"

" Yukito can take him." Kero said rudely.

" I don't mind." Yukito replied after a silence, though it was too late to make Syaoran feel better.

" Kami-sama, where did you jump from, kid?" Touya shifted the ice. " They weren't _that _scary where they?"

Syaoran made no answer to his attempt at humor. Then again, it looked like he was concentrating more on his knees.

" How are you going to get him back?"

" I can borrow your bicycle can't I?"

" Hm." Touya paused. He sighed again. " Do you have any idea who's after you?" He asked Syaoran.

Syaoran shook his head mutely.

" This is awkward." Touya complained to himself.

oO

Yukito's attempts to connect with Syaoran when they left the Kinomotos were just as successful as Touya's. He did manage to erase a bit of the miserable complexion on Syaoran's gaunt face by being genuinely enthusiastic about having a guest in the house, especially as, he had said, he ' always wanted a little brother, though Touya would probably serve as one quite well'. He fished out some old pajamas from when he was young to lend to Syaoran. The boy managed to hide his surprise at the bunnies that dotted the white cotton.

Syaoran could not walk much anyway, since while Touya's ice reduced the swelling, he had injured them enough that any weight on his knees hurt. Yukito called it a day and told Syaoran to call if he needed anything. Syaoran took a look around the guest room to familiarize himself with new surroundings yet again. Then, heavy of heart, he shut his eyes.

It was not long before he proved that they were both to have a restless night. Nightmares plagued him, and Yukito found himself waking up and hurrying to Syaoran's room not too long after he fell asleep. From the incoherent sobs and wails he caught the words, repeated in a mantra, ' I am not the Key! I am no the key! No! I'm not! Please!'

" You were saying that in your sleep." Yukito told Syaoran when the boy was coherent enough to answer questions. " What did you mean?"

But Syaoran was not going to give them a reason to hurt him or turn against him. He remained stubbornly silent.

Feeling a bit frustrated at his own inability to comfort Syaoran, Yukito rose from where he held the boy. " Can you sleep now?" He asked gently. " Do you want Yue to spell the dreams away?" Even though Yue never offered such a thing.

Syaoran shook his head. " They don't work on me." He replied. " Sorry for waking you up."

" It's nothing if it was really bad." Yukito assured him. " Do you want to talk about it at all?"

Syaoran shook his head. " Sumimasen."

Yukito stared at Syaoran in contemplation. Neither he nor Yue knew what to do with this child. But the boy shifted his body as if to go back to sleep, and taking the hint, Yukito left the room, closing the door softly. He hoped Eriol would hurry up and get to the bottom of this, because they certainly were not getting any answers from the boy himself.

Meanwhile, Eriol was having a long conversation with one of the Li members, despite the hour in Hong Kong and the even more ungodly hour in London, and his patience was wearing thin, though not because of lack of cooperation.

" He's immune to about half the spells that exists, and no one thought to investigate?"

" It was assumed," Said the elder, truthfully, for Eriol had used his identity as leverage over the conversation, " That it was the limit of his abilities. As far as we could sense, and can still sense, he has no magical aura, or any other indication that he is anything other than non-magical."

" So how is it that he was discovered in the first place?" Eriol asked.

" We are not sure. We believe it had something to do with whatever happened to his father. The family had not been very forthcoming."

" I should think not." Eriol replied harshly. " You intended to abandon him. What proof do you have that he is the Key at all?"

" Li Yelan conducted a test before the Council, using a white and black peony."

Eriol resisted the urge to slam the phone down. It was hopeless then. " They changed, then?"

" Yes."

Eriol released a heavy sigh. " Do you know what happened at the Ri clan? Who killed Li Yelan?"

" We do not know. The Ri clan did not announce her death."

Eriol blinked. " They did not announce her death. Then she is still alive?"

" No, she is most certainly dead. Visitors stumbled upon their bodies when they were paying an unexpected visit."

Eriol froze. " The Ri clan is Li Yelan's maternal clan, is it not?"

" That is correct, sir."

" Who were these visitors?"

" We do not know, sir."

Eriol sighed for the tenth time in fifteen minutes. " Alright. Thank you for your time."

" Your welcome, Mr. Hiirigaziwa."

Eriol swore.

" That's not very nice." Spinel mumbled.

" It's four in the morning." Eriol complained. " And I just learned that one of my descendants is in more trouble than even Clow Reed could have handled, let alone me."

" Could the Card Mistress handle it?"

" If the Li Clan could not handle it, how could she?" Eriol paced bitterly. " Of all the people that soul could have chosen, why Li Zhineng? It is obvious that is what hindered his magic. He would have been much better off."

" Just what is this Key anyway?" Nakuru asked.

" Power beyond imagination. Why else would everyone go crazy for it." Eriol slammed his hand on the table in a rare moment of discomposure.

" But what, Li has the key?"

" No. Li _is _the key."

" How the blazes would that work?" Spinel blinked. " He was sired and born, wasn't he?"

" The Key, is apparently a soul." Eriol smacked his forehead. " Go figure the ten sorcerers would know how to create souls out of thin air. And the last thing people expect, but at the same time, so bloody obvious. The key to other dimensions would, of course, be the very thing that traverses dimensions in the first place. Assuming there is any gateway between the Living and the Dead, souls would obviously have the key to that gate. So of course, the Key to the the secrets of Magic would be a soul. And of course, the soul probably was reincarnated over and over again, right under our noses, in inconspicuous guises, until finally it met an unlucky mark in Zhineng."

" Why unlucky?"

" Because he was discovered. Somehow." Eriol sat down heavily.

" Well, if he has not even a magical aura, how the blazes did people know it was him?"

" God knows what took his father." Eriol got up and started pacing again. " But however they found out Syaoran was a candidate, he passed. With flying colors. White and Black peonies, flipped under his command, and this is not even counting the fact that he has no magic to even make that possible."

" Well, maybe he can be used for Sakura. Make Sakura the most powerful witch in the world. That sounds like a good plan." Spinel nodded.

" How do you think the Key would be used?" Eriol pointed out. " If you use the Key, you have to use Syaoran. And I can bet, it would not be a normal death either. After so many reincarnations, you might as well be destroying an actual, authentic human soul. And he is my descendant. I am not letting anyone kill Zhineng just because there are ten crystals in another dimension. The Key was created to _lock _it in the first place." He rubbed his face. " Fortunately for us, it seems everyone lost his trail. They're attacking Hong Kong, still. They have no clue where he is right now."

It was very fortunate, Eriol thought, that he had called under the pretense of merely being concerned about his descendant's welfare. The Li elder asked no more questions, especially with their own unforgivable secret. If he had let slip at all that he knew of the boy's whereabouts, Eriol had no doubt both he and Sakura would be immediate targets.

Assuming they were not targets already.

Eriol saw absolutely no solution to this problem. What he heard so far did not sound good at all. Unless they undertook to erase everyone's memories of there ever being a Key, but if the ten original sorcerers were unable to do that, how could he, or Sakura, hope to succeed?

" You know, it's kind of four in the morning. Maybe you should sleep on it?" Nakuru suggested.

Eriol looked at her for a moment, then wordless rose. " It is morning in Tomoeda." He said. " I might as well call Sakura."

oO

Syaoran still had nightmares, but he managed to wake up without waking Yukito first. And, because he had no magical aura, Yue was unable to sense whether he was troubled. It showed, however, in the morning, when Syaoran could barely keep his eyes open.

" You sure the spells won't work on you." Yukito asked again.

" They never have." Syaoran replied, thinking of the many pranks he would have suffered the end of, had they worked. " The Time Card didn't work."

" Hai." Yukito agreed. " That would show great magic. Are you sure you're not just a late bloomer?"

_I wish I was. _Syaoran thought. He could not even count, how many times he had wished he was just a late bloomer, that his magic matured slower than others. How many times he had prayed on New Year's Day, or on his birthday. He had a feeling his mother had prayed for the same thing all the time.

Yukito sighed.

The doorbell rang, and Yukito went to answer.

" Ohayo, Yukito-chan!" Sakura's bright voice resonated the room, followed by another " Ohayo!" from a girl he did not recognize. He instantly grew alert.

" Hey, Sakura-chan! Daidouji-san! What do you have there?"

Daidouji replied " I baked a cake, and I thought your new friend Li-san would want to try it!"

" Come in!" Yukito grinned, partially because having Sakura and Tomoyo around would relieve him of having to talk to the boy. It had not been long back when he was eleven years old, but by the time he realized he actually had no family to begin with, he was already eighteen. He had no clue how to deal with Syaoran. And from the nightmares last night, Syaoran's separation from his family had not been a quiet one.

" Ohayo!" Tomoyo said again. " I am Daidouji Tomoyo! I baked these for you!" Which contradicted her earlier statement; that she had baked them and happened to think Li would want to try.

Speechless at this affability, Syaoran barely managed to suitably reply before Tomoyo set the huge chocolate cake in front of him.

" Wow, that looks delicious Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura exclaimed. " And it's so big!"

" Come on, let's try some. I have no idea what it tastes like." Tomoyo somehow came up with a knife and began cutting up the cake.

" I'm sure it tastes great." Yukito's appetite had awakened. " Can I have some?"

Tomoyo stared a little pointedly at Syaoran, as if saying it was his decision, since it was his cake. Even more surprised, Syaoran, acting quickly, slid the first slice of cake over to Yukito

" Wow, Arigatou!" And with much enthusiasm, Yukito began to devour his slice.

Tomoyo giggled a little chidingly at Syaoran, as if remonstrating for giving the first slice to Yukito. She quickly served him another slice. Despite his general lack of appetite, Syaoran did not manage to refuse, and Tomoyo and Sakura each served themselves a slice. Staring in disbelief at this proof of real friendliness—the kind he had never received from a single soul outside his own family, Syaoran had no idea what to do until Tomoyo asked, " Is it not good, Li-san?"

" Oh!" And taking the hint, he quickly took a bite. Flavor exploded in his mouth. It felt like the first sensation he ever had ever since realizing, at the airport, that his mother and sisters were not coming for him. He looked down at the plate.

" Good huh?" Sakura smiled cheerfully. Syaoran managed an uncomfortable smile back, but it was a genuine smile. He simply was no longer used to smiling. In fact, he had not smiled in months, even prior to the whole Key business. As Sakura made a giggling noise, he wondered, idly, when was the last time he felt free enough to laugh. Was it years?

" This is delicious Daidouji-san!" Yukito grinned, while Yue was thinking that Syaoran looked like he would need the cake a lot more than Yukito did.

" Arigatou Daidouji-san," Syaoran said quietly, " It is very good."

Tomoyo beamed.

Sakura drew Yukito away to talk to him in private, leaving Tomoyo to keep Syaoran company. The two took a moment to make sure Syaoran was alright with this. The cake seemed to break the ice; Syaoran was not exactly talking very much, but Tomoyo seemed to keep his attention diverted from whatever dark thoughts haunt his mind now. Sakura turned to Yukito.

" I need to talk to Yue." She felt a little bad about always doing this to Yukito, but it was not like she had a choice.

Yukito nodded and Yue appeared in his place. He looked at her gravely.

" You have new information." Yue observed.

" Eriol-kun called me early this morning." Sakura sighed. " He sounded like he's been at this for a while. In any case, he didn't really have any good news."

" Tell me."

Sakura asked him if he knew about the ancient sorceress and the ten crystals.

" I do not recall such a thing."

" Neither did Kero. But apparently they had to lock away this power in another dimension. I assume they created that too. And in order to avoid having a million ways for other people to sneak into this dimension, they formed a lock and key, so that there is only one way. Maybe this makes more sense to you? Because this does not make any sense to me."

" It is a law of magic." Yue replied. " Nothing can be fully protected, and the best protection is to have only one method of breaking it. Often it has to do with having only one key for one lock."

" Okay." Sakura was not entirely interested. " Guess it makes sense, if you really wrap your head around it But in any case, Eriol said that apparently the key to this dimension is a soul."

Yue jerked his head in Syaoran's direction. It would have been comical, had the situation not been so serious.

" So that is what he is running from."

" Hai."

" What happens if he releases the dimension's contents?"

" In addition to hell breaking loose?" Sakura paused. " Eriol says he thinks Syaoran would die. The soul would have to be torn away from the body, anyway, in order to fit into the lock. Or at least tha's what I think he said. He was speaking in strange riddles. I think he was afraid the call would be intercepted."

" I see. He has no magic?"

" None. Except the power to open dimensions, or at least that's what the Key's supposed to do. I have no clue about Li himself. Eriol did not seem to want to go into that, because it might sound suspicious to any eavesdroppers. But I'm guessing it's also why he's resistant to most spells What would a mind-altering spell do to a key, after all?"

" What about the Li Clan? Why was he not with them?"

" This is where it gets worse." Sakura glared at the floor. " His family abandoned him."

Yue stared at her.

" And, here's the kicker. The Ri Clan, which was his mother's maternal clan—they were the ones who probably murdered his mother and sisters."

Yue looked at Syaoran.

' We can't make him go back."

" But he cannot stay here."

" We're not going to let him die! That's barbaric!"

" What did Eriol say?"

" He pretty much said he didn't know what to do. But for him, abandoning Li is out of question."

" So it is." Yue agreed. " If not for the sake of Clow Reed's blood, for the sake of morality."

" I feel so bad for him." Sakura folded her arms. " I can't imagine what he's going through. His world literally fell apart in one month, or so Eriol-kun told me."

" He must be very resourceful if he could survive in Tomoeda on his own, the way he did."

" Tomoeda has nice people."

Yue did not comment. " What should we do with him? We will never get any peace around here as long as people know he is here."

" But that's it. People don't know. Somehow he managed to sneak here, and without any magical signature he's able to hide. It's really all we got on our side, but it's something."

" How does Eriol know that no one knows he is here?"

" Because Li-san is still alive. There is no way he could survive on his own if he were attacked here."

Yue was silent.

" We'll figure out something." Sakura was promising herself this more than she was promising Yue. " I don't want him to die. Not for something as stupid as this. I'd want a friend to help me too. There's got to be some perk to being the Key. They wouldn't be so heartless as to create a human soul without any defenses whatsoever, would they?"

" I doubt it was their intention to be kind." Yue replied. " But based on what I have heard, I doubt Li is completely helpless. He simply had no opportunity to explore his abilities, whatever they are." Thinking about the blow Syaoran had landed on his chest last night, Yue paused again.

" He has a lot of luck, for someone so unlucky. Then again, luck goes both ways." Sakura sighed. " I'm going to talk to him more. Maybe we can work something out together." She headed to where Tomoyo was cheerfully chatting with Syaoran.

Yue remained where he was, deep in thought.


	5. Chapter 5

The Key

Chapter 5

" My Lady, the Orb Mistress is dead."

" Really?" The calm female voice replied. " How long ago?"

" About a week ago, my lady."

" Hm. And this was not the work of Li Yelan?"

" We do not know."

" I guess it is what she gets for being so hasty."

Lady Aileen was half Chinese, half German. She was a cunning woman, eager to take advantage of any situation at any cost. She did not have a lot of power, but she knew a lot of spells, and it was this diversity that allowed her to rise in rank as a sorceress. She had previously not been interested in joining the search for the Key, but after everyone else began to fight each other she had no choice. To abstain would put herself at a disadvantage, and there was nothing Lady Aileen hated more than being put at a disadvantage when she could help it. It speaks of foolishness.

Still, her sister, the Orb Mistress, had been too vigorous in her search even for Aileen's tastes.

Well, there was nothing to be done. The goal now is to find out where the child disappeared to. It was odd that the child could survive when his sisters and mother were killed, but there could be no other reason why other sorcerers have changed their directions when searching but not the intensity. There was no news of any sorcerer successfully attaining the ten crystals, which would be too great an event to hide.

Still, her sister had managed to accomplish a few things before she got herself killed. She had her Raven guardian discover all of the child's habits and personalities, or at least, it was what resulted after sending the Raven to keep a close eye on the boy. So while she herself died, her surviving guardian should be able to tell Aileen everything—once he wakes up, of course. But Aileen did not lack patience. Before she started a search without any direction, she wanted some guidelines first. Where would the child go if his mother was killed? Would he remain near the Ri Clan? Obviously not. Would he go back to the Li Clan? She was not sure. Were there any friends Zhineng had outside of the Li clan? In school, perhaps?

She will wait. Timing is everything. It is all fine to hurry so as to not be late, but nothing is as good as being right on time, in the right place. For all she knew, the child may be observing her movements as well, somehow. She is certainly being observed by others.

" My lady, the bird is awake."

Aileen hid a smile. " Is he now."

oO

The openness and affability of Sakura and Tomoyo eventually did its job. A week passed and they heard the story from Syaoran himself. Sakura found herself constantly thinking of him. There was something touchingly sad about everything he does. Despite his depression, Syaoran was not uncomfortable to be with once they got to know him. He actually laughed, once, when Sakura offered, in order to cheer him up, to show him videos of how she captured the cards.

" You had an elephant help you?" Syaoran could not take his eyes off the video of how Sakura caught the Power Card. " Haha, you had an elephant help you! That's pretty neat!"

Sakura found she somehow relished the idea of him laughing more than she thought she would. While they moved to the next video, and Syaoran laughed at her costume, Yukito walked in. He started at Syaoran's laugh and waited for it to continue. Syaoran, not noticing Yukito, laughed again at Sakura's costume, remarking, " How did Tomoyo get those angles?"

" She has her ways." Sakura replied, amused. She was actually quite fond of how she managed to outwit the Power Card. She was not stupid enough to try to challenge it into a game, despite what Kero suggested. Strength, after all, was nothing compared to something soft or nonexistent, like an Illusion.

Syaoran wanted to watch more. It was strange to see everything caught on tape. He remembered back in Hong Kong when he used to envy the other children. They looked like they were having such fun, even if occasionally some things exhausted them. It was fun he would never have, and in a sense Sakura was doing the same thing. But there was no malice in her showing him these tapes, and he had never found a friend who would do all these things just to make him feel better. It was fun watching her too. Her costumes were either cute or stupid, and either way they delighted him.

He got along with Kero as well. Kero's false form was very comforting, and the Sun Guardian saw no reason to use this to his advantage. Often, when Sakura was busy with chores, Kero would drop by Yukito's house and perch all day on Syaoran's shoulder. With Syaoran, at least, the fact that he was the Key is far enough from his mind.

Yue observed as Yukito. He never transformed back into his true form unless it was to talk to Sakura and Kero in private. Yukito was agreeable enough for the two of them. He did not like it when Syaoran would look in his direction in confusion, as if wondering why Yue never showed. It was none of the boy's business.

Still, he found himself secretly trying to find similarities between this boy and his former master. With Eriol he did not need to do this, as Eriol _was _his master, however he denied it. Syaoran was of Clow Reed's blood. Were there any signs at all? He did not have the magic. Did he have the temper?

" Clow must have watched too much Jackie Chan," Syaoran ducked as Sakura swung a blow, " Why would you need a Fight Card if you could just sit there, throw the Thunder Card, and blast everyone?"

" I don't know, actually." Sakura jumped a little, feeling the Fight Card's magic coursing through her. She was intrigued by Syaoran's skills as a martial artist, and wanted to test the Fight Card against him, which, Syaoran had protested, was rather unfair, because his knees had not completely healed, but he managed to hold his own without actually standing (he was sitting on a chair) or putting much weight on his knees—an incredible feat, to be sure. At the moment, they were sparring with their arms and hands, and not really doing anything too intense, but they were trying out moves and seeing who would outmaneuver the other. " It is pretty karate-like, though."

" I know." Syaoran smiled. " I saw the video. You looked like the Fight Card."

" Oh you did not just say that!"

Syaoran ducked. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. " The costume was all Tomoyo-chan's idea."

" Yeah, sure."

" Hey! What are you suggesting?"

_No way Clow Reed would be so immature. _Yue thought disapprovingly. Never mind that such a thought was completely ridiculous.

" The fighting style is kind of shallow though." Syaoran remarked. " Here, punch my palm."

Sakura did so. " Ow!"

Syaoran cocked an eyebrow. " Uh…you were the one that punched _my _hand…"

" Are your palms made of iron or something?"

" I thought karate people were a lot more durable than that. What with their slicing through bricks and slabs of wood."

" Yeah, but you don't see them punching brick walls for no reason."

" Good point. But I didn't do anything. I meant to grab your fist."

" Maybe it's because you're the Key." Sakura joked.

Syaoran took it lightly. He had started to come to terms with it. The nightmares are changing. He was no longer denying that he was the Key. Instead, they were filled with horrible premonitions of what might happen if he were caught, or if his last hope, the Clow guardians, gave up on him. At the moment, it seemed very real, but at the same time a very distant possibility. He was starting to realize he was no longer afraid. It could not be all that bad. So, he might experience some pain. But perhaps, in the end, he would have to accept whatever he could get. He certainly had nothing more to live for.

After a few more minutes of hand-sparring, Sakura withdrew the Fight Card.

" Ugh." She groaned. " It's too lovely a day outside to go around spending indoors. How about we go out?"

" If you don't mind helping." Syaoran replied.

Sakura used the Float Card to help his knees support him. Syaoran stood and took some experimental steps to test the feel. " I can get used to this." He remarked.

Giggling, Sakura headed to the door. " Yukito-chan!" She called, " Li-kun and I are going outside for a bit. Want to come join?"

" Sure." Yukito replied. " Just let me change my shirt." He had spilled a pot of water all over himself while preparing to boil it earlier.

" We'll be outside!" Sakura called, not patient enough to wait. The two headed out.

It was a quiet neighborhood, but as it was a bright, sunny day, with relatively low humidity and cool shade to contrast with the hot air, there was at least one person on every block. Supposedly, in the winter, it snows in Tomoeda. In fact, it snowed in Japan quite often. Syaoran mused idly on life in Hong Kong, how they could wear tank tops and t-shirts even in mid-January. The girls in the Li clan would wear brightly-colored cheongsam dresses, and his mother and sisters would go to town, an umbrella made of bamboo and oiled paper blocking the noon sun. One time, his older sister was approached by a handsome young man in a western suit, who forwardly asked for her name and where she came from—

" Alright," Yukito closed the front door. " What are we doing?"

" We can head to the park. I want some ice cream." Sakura looked at Syaoran. " You want some too?"

_I'm spending all their money. _Syaoran realized idly. _This kind of sucks. _But he did not remark on this. He wondered if, being a Key, he could get away with not eating. He certainly felt the pangs of hunger before and they were not pleasant. _Hopefully this resolves before I make Tsukishiro go bankrupt._

Although how it would resolve was beyond him.

" Swallows!" Sakura pointed, as two swallows flew overhead. She glanced at Syaoran, noting that he wore an expression of contemplation. She did not really want to know what he was thinking about. In fact, she would prefer he stop thinking at the moment. " Look at that, huh?" She poked Syaoran a little annoyingly, but that was because he was not listening to her.

" Huh?" Distracted, Syaoran looked up. " Oh."

" They say swallows mate for life." Sakura said to Syaoran. " Is that true?"

" I don't know." This forced Syaoran's thoughts onto swallows, which he did not mind. " I know there used to be a swallow's nest outside my house. Or there is one. The swallows fly back every year."

Sakura mentally groaned. How come everything served to remind him of Hong Kong? " Oh." She replied lamely.

" I used to watch the chicks." Syaoran said softly, recalling the days when he had nothing else to do, because no one would play with him because he was that 'non-magical idiot'. " They were so loud. And then, after a few weeks, they start poking their heads out and looking around. Towards the end of summer they're as big as their parents but they stay on the nest because they're too scared to fly."

" You enjoyed watching them, didn't you?" Sakura observed.

" I had a lot of free time." Syaoran said defensively, not willing to let his new friends know just how disliked he had been.

The truck was ahead, and they abandoned conversation to hurry to the truck. Yukito bought one for both himself and his ward.

" Japanese ice cream isn't that bad eh?" Yukito winked.

Syaoran smiled a little. " It's good." Chocolate was always his favorite flavor. He remembered how every time he had a bad day, his mother would buy him chocolates. He had been strong-willed enough that not every day was a bad day. In fact, he had learned that solitude could be a greater companion than any friend, and took pains to distance himself away from other children. Still, sometimes loneliness was painful. " Arigatou, Tsukishiro-san."

Despite the fact that Yukito had actually told Syaoran to call him by his first name when they met, it was proper, for now, to call him by his last name. The older boy did not comment on it, especially since he still called Syaoran "Li-san".

" Come on." Sakura invited. She was getting a little bored. " Let's take a walk."

oO

There was an advantage to having unambitious friends. Eriol knew that James Brukton was not interested in acquiring any Key to great power, even to save the world. He was simply that sort of man; shy as a child, and as a result, never given an opportunity to develop his self-confidence when surrounded by people like Eriol. He was incredibly intelligent, however, so when Eriol finally admitted defeat in finding a solution to this problem, he was the one the sorcerer confided in.

Nevertheless, Eriol was careful to reveal only necessary information, and to keep as many facts undisclosed. Brukton, being the sort of fellow that he was, partook in much revealing of information without much wariness from those disposed to confide in him. From Brukton, Eriol learned that in fact, while there were many sorcerers who identified Li Zhineng as the Key, there were many more who only knew the Li clan was in possession of their goal, and not even aware that the Key was human.

" Some boy, they said." Brukton told Eriol over the phone. " At most. The death of Li Yelan narrowed it down quite a bit. She had the Key, somehow. And with her only son missing, people are saying that he has the Key, not that he is the Key. And then people are saying he is the Key. It is all pretty confusing, if you ask me."

" Where is everyone looking now?" Eriol asked. Then, careful not to reveal Syaoran's real location, " Are they still in Hong Kong?"

" To be sure." Brukton replied. " Everyone is in Hong Kong, desperately looking for the child. But, tiny as Hong Kong was, there are a great many places for that kid to hide. Assuming he's still alive. Hong Kong can be a nasty place. There are so many mafias there. Did you know that Jackie Chan was actually allied with the Mafia? There was this story at one point ..."

He went off on this tangent, as this story did not interest him as much as it interested Eriol. To avoid suspicion, Eriol sat through it, but skillfully brought his old friend back on topic.

" This does not make sense though. Assuming the Li clan possessed the Key, how did people only find out now? And assuming the Key was human, how did people find out the Key existed at all? Not to mention, one would assume that if the Li Clan possessed the Key, they themselves would attempt to open the gateway to the Ten Crystals of Knowledge."

" That's the kicker." Brukton replied. " So, about seven or eight years ago, this fellow, Li Shenti, who is a member of the Li Clan, headed for Seoul to discuss a contract between the Li Clan and the Lee Clan." He clarified that the Lee Clan had no relation to the Li's, or at least any that was known. " Now the family in Seoul had another guest; Forrest Mir. You know who he is?"

" No." Eriol frowned. " I have never heard of him."

" He was a descendant of one of the Ten Sorcerers' pupils. Apparently, once the Ten Sorcerers passed from this world, the pupils formed an organization to ensure that the Key, wherever and whatever it was, will never fall into sorcerer hands."

" Except their own?"

" The task was to destroy the Key." Brukton said dryly. " Fat chance their descendants would follow through on _that. _But the point is that he is one of these 'Guardians of the Key', or whatever you want to call it."

" Alright? So…how did he find out about the Key?"

" It was the strangest affair ever. So he had this lover who was supposedly the Orb Mistress—you haven't heard of _her, _I would think, considering she was not a prominent figure, but supposedly she was incredibly powerful, just very discrete. She was not actually at Seoul when Li Shenti arrived, so this was the weird part. Li Shenti comes, the elder Lee's go through the normal courtesies and what not. All good. Then they introduce Li to Mir. Mir hears about Li's son, Li Zhineng, that poor kid without magic, and offers to bring the issue to the Orb Mistress and see if there's anything to be done. The next week, Li goes with Mir to the Orb Mistress. For some reason he was held there. Then all signs of him disappear. Next thing we know, there was this huge battle between the Orb Mistress and her lover. They separate, and Mir suddenly rants that the Key was here for three years already and he never knew. He gathers all the other members of the organization and they begin examining every nook and cranny, including Hong Kong, but they never found anything. Everyone thought he was crazy."

" But he was not crazy."

" Not in that sense, anyway. But it was soon discovered, anyway, that our poor friend Li Shenti had been carrying around a crystal—one of the Ten Crystals of Knowledge. Unfortunately, that crystal was lost; it was not sure how. But that was apparently how Mir realized Li Shenti had been in possession of the Key."

_Zhineng managed to unlock the gate without dying. _Eriol thought wildly. _Perhaps that is the solution. He does not have to die! But how does the Key work in that case? Astral projection? But astral projection is not the same thing as death. One cannot traverse dimensions when astral projecting…but if Syaoran can unlock the gate without dying, this might be the answer! It's incredible, but we shall take it. But the crystal was lost? Was it never used?_

" So no sign of the crystal?"

" No. No one was able to use it, no hints, nothing. They started an all out feud in the Middle East, as if that area could not get more chaotic! Did you know that…" and Brukton went off on the tangent again, but Eriol heard what he was looking for.

oO

Once again, Sakura called Yue and Kero to meet with her. Tomoyo and Touya kept Syaoran distracted with cooking. Apparently the boy was a very good cook back in Hong Kong, so he was actually teaching Touya some new tricks while Touya and Tomoyo exchanged their own knowledge about other dishes. Seeing that they were all happily preoccupied, Sakura motioned for everyone to lower their voices and she said to Yue quietly, " Well, I think I have good news."

" Say it already." Kero snapped, irritated.

" Well, I think at some point Li released one of the crystals."

There was a long pause.

" Nani?" Kero flew around. " How is that possible? I thought he was supposed to die when that happened!"

" That was what Eriol-kun thought too. But that was how people figured out the Key was around in the first place. Several years ago, god I think Li-kun was three! His father went to Seoul on a business trip and they found out he had a crystal on him."

" On his person?" Yue asked.

" Hai." Sakura nodded. " They somehow killed Li-san but the crystal disappeared."

" That makes absolutely no sense." The sun guardian protested.

" You're telling me this?" Sakura rubbed her head. " In any case, that was how Li-kun was discovered. Pretty much."

" But he didn't even seem to know he was the Key. Let alone—how did he manage to unlock the dimension when he was three?"

" You're asking me?" Sakura replied in the same tone. " But maybe if we get him to open the dimensions, he could teach himself how to use it. Or something."

This was done over lunch.

" I did?" Syaoran blinked, troubled. Dread pooled at the bottom of his stomach. Was there no end to the evils he had caused?

" Hey, you were three. Anything could have happened." Touya told him gently, noticing the look of absolute horror and instantly realizing the cause.

" Hai, Touya-san is right." Tomoyo agreed. " It's not your fault."

It must have showed on his face, Syaoran realized. He struggled to compose himself. " But—I don't remember doing it. And I definitely don't know how to do it again, assuming I _can. _I mean…"

How could he possibly do something so remarkable when every time he had desperately prayed for some kind of magic to help him, the prayer goes unheard?

" We'll help out." Sakura promised. " Surely there's some clue or other."

" They did make the Key so that it would never be used, you understand." Kero pointed out.

" Still. When there's a will there is a way." Sakura replied stubbornly. " And I'm going to help Li-kun find a way out of this mess."

" Even if I release the crystals I probably can't use them." Syaoran pointed out tiredly.

" Says who? Have you ever tried?"

" …Iie."

" Well then." Sakura replied confidently. " Let's eat. I'm hungry. We'll get to work when we're done."

Syaoran looked at her, amazed at how she made everything sound so simple. She had such an air of confidence, however, that Syaoran could not help but believe in her. Dinner finished with some gusto, and they set to work. Sakura, as a precaution, cast a light shield spell around Yukito's house. While Syaoran looked around, amazed at her control, Sakura began looking through her cards in order to come up with ideas to help Syaoran break out of whatever 'block' he had on his 'magic'.

" Hm." The girl contemplated. " What would unlock a Key? I mean a Key's supposed to unlock other things. What would unlock a Key itself though?"

" Er…"

" I know. How about we try the Lock Card. It can only power up where there's a lock. Which could be a block." And before Syaoran could reply, Sakura already drew the card. With a few quick words of incantation, she released the Lock Card. Not knowing where to go, it headed to the nearest lock—the door lock, where it glowed, confused, and remained.

" Huh." Sakura blinked. " Well, either that means you don't have a block, or I'm just being stupid."

Curious about Clow Cards in action (though now they are Sakura Cards, and very pink), Syaoran got up from the sofa and went to the front door to examine it. He touched it timidly. It flickered and sailed away to Sakura.

" Whoa." Sakura had sensed what happened through her magic. " I guess you're a Key for all purposes."

Not amused, and not sure what Sakura was talking about, Syaoran glowered a little. " What's that supposed to mean?"

Kero fluttered over to him. " Don't you know what you just did?"

" Huh?" Syaoran blinked. " What did I just do?"

" You opened the Lock." Sakura pointed. " Look. It's whining."

Syaoran stared at the green and yellow padlock with a drum and silly wings on the back. He was not sure if Sakura was making fun of him, but he could not tell any expression from the card, let alone whether it was whining or not. But Sakura seemed like a nice person, unlike his cousins, and while she looked amused, she did not seem to be delighted at his expense.

" Okay, that didn't work." Sakura called it back " What else do we have?"

Syaoran looked at the cards, upside down. " What does the Return Card do?" He asked.

Sakura took a long time in answering. " It technically takes you back in time as a ghostly observer, though some powerful magicians can still see and hear you." She paused. " It takes a lot of energy."

" It only brings you as an observer?" Syaoran asked. A hidden thought began to form in his mind. " But powerful magicians can see you?"

" Un. Well, there's Time, which allows everyone to see you since you're not just an observer, but that only goes back by a whole day."

" But Return can go very far back? And you can talk to people and stuff"

" Hai." Sakura looked at Syaoran, puzzled. " Why are you so intent on the Return and Time Card? They're very taxing, you know. They're pretty powerful but there's usually not much you can do with…" Then it dawned on her.

Good sense told her it was a bad idea, but her empathy put up a good battle. If Syaoran's mother really was as powerful as Eriol claimed, she would probably hear Sakura's warnings. And even Syaoran's father, who was probably not a weak sorcerer himself. She looked at Yukito anxiously. What does one do in this situation?

" There are no coincidences." Kero warned Sakura. " You could cause a lot of trouble."

Tears threatening to sting at his eyes, Syaoran stared at Kero in desperation. Kero ignored his look. " Think carefully!"

oO

Ultimately Sakura refused. She promised to do it if she was convinced otherwise, but she strongly felt it was a bad idea. Syaoran did not protest, but he knew that she had already made up her mind, and was only saying that to console him. When Tomoyo and the Kinomoto's went home, Syaoran went silently to the guest room and shut the door. He buried his face in the pillow. If he could not suppress his tears of heartbreak and disappointment, he could at least suppress his sobs, so that Tsukishiro and Yue would not think any less of him than they already did.

Outside, Yukito stood in front of the guest room door, debating whether or not he should go to Syaoran to talk to him. After a long time of hearing nothing but silence, he turned around and went to his own room.


	6. Chapter 6

The Key

Chapter 6

Rain started falling. The window showed a world of gray and bright green lawns. The patter on the roof and windows was very soothing. It was probably why Syaoran had ended up sleeping in a little.

He realized it was his birthday.

Normally, on his birthday, his mother would allow him to skip classes for the day. His sisters would skip classes too. They would lavish Syaoran with gifts that he could not open until after breakfast. Then the day was spent either using these gifts, or heading out. They would go horseback riding. The Li Clan did not own their own horses, but there were horses one could take and ride for however many hours one pays for, and Syaoran always got the same horse—literally Haha, because of the noise he sometimes makes when he's eating. Haha would nuzzle him when they meet, as if saying his own 'Happy Birthday'. His sisters would set off firecrackers in the courtyard when they returned, and hearts would be light, because they cannot be heavy on Syaoran's birthday.

It was hard to imagine they would never celebrate it with him again.

Yukito found Syaoran to be more subdued than normal that day. It had been about three weeks since they first found him. Syaoran was never one to get really excited about anything, and he was normally very quiet, but for some reason Yukito sensed an increased melancholy. To cheer him up, Yukito dug out some comedy movies to show Syaoran.

Meanwhile, Eriol was making plans to return to Tomoeda.

" I need a good reason." Eriol told Sakura over the phone. Unfortunately, their conversation was so careful it was nearly incomprehensible.

" Maybe just a visit?" Sakura suggested skeptically."

" Too soon." Eriol replied. " I only just left a month ago."

Sakura was silent for a while. Eriol was right about that one. But there was no question he must come if they were going to solve this at all. At the rate they were going, Syaoran was going to need a lot of help.

" Maybe you left something here."

" Delivery." Eriol replied, meaning if such was the case there was no need for him to come back in person.

" Natural disaster?" Sakura was very unhappy about this idea, however. " Reconstruction."

" That's too costly."

Sakura sighed.

" If time is what you need," Sakura suggested, " I think we can take care of things for now. Just tell me how much time you need."

Eriol paused. " Ideally, a year, or slightly longer. Do you think you can do that?"

" A year?" A year seemed like a long time, especially for the eleven-year-old girl. " I…guess…if that's what it takes." _His life has already been destroyed. What is a year? _For Sakura, at least, it was not much of a loss either, though she wanted to be sure Yukito was alright with it. " I need to ask Yukito-san, however. He's the one taking care of Li-kun right now."

" Do."

oO

Lady Aileen had concluded that the boy was no longer in Hong Kong. Though Hong Kong was a busy place, there was no way, with the swarm of sorcerers, the boy could have remained hidden for so long, especially as everyone knew what he looked like. Without magic, there was only so much time the child could buy for himself.

The question now became, what did the boy do to get out of Hong Kong? Did he go to neighboring provinces, or did he fly out of the country altogether?

" That would be telling." The Raven remarked.

" What kind of resources did Li Yelan have?"

" Besides the Ri Clan, she had those of the Clow." The bird replied. " She might have gone to the Ri Clan as a temporary shelter in order to jump to the protection of either Hiirigaziwa or the new Card Mistress. Trusting though she was, it hardly made sense for her to leave the Li Clan and go to the Ri Clan to drag all of her son's pursuers with her."

" Would it just be the Clow?" Aileen asked. " Does she have no other connections?"

" Clow is the most powerful." The bird pointed out. " She probably wanted their aid, and arranged to journey there before she was betrayed by the Ri."

" And the child would fly by himself to England?"

" Or Japan. Perhaps. He is more intelligent than most children his age."

" Hm." Aileen contemplated. " Now he has reinforcements." With her meager brute force, she was no match for either Clow or his new successor. First, she must determine whether Syaoran was in London or Japan.

Japan was closer, but London seemed more reasonable. On the other hand, Japan had more reinforcements. Armed with every element of magic, the Card Mistress would be formidable defense indeed. Kinomoto Sakura's succession to Clow Reed had been made known to the world. It was nearly impossible that Li Yelan would not know of her.

" I cannot move from here." Aileen told the Raven. " In this urgent time we watch each other closely. My movements would be monitored. I will have to search remotely."

Understanding immediately, the black bird only paused a minute to preen a feather before taking flight.

oO

It was still raining by the time afternoon rolled along. Syaoran was tired of watching movies, and though he did not outwardly show it, Yukito could clearly sense the boy's restlessness. Therefore, by the end of the third movie, Yukito declared he himself was tired of watching all these movies. Syaoran wondered if it was the magician in Yukito that made him so intuitive to other people's feelings.

" So what do you want to do?" Yukito then asked. " It's raining outside so we can't exactly go out."

Syaoran had no more of idea than Yukito. He was not used to spending time with other people, other than his mother and four sisters. Normally they spent their free time reading together in the same room, but it did not seem to be Yukito's idea of 'doing something'.

" Come." Yukito suddenly became uncharacteristically forward. " What are you musing about, hm? I won't have you lost in your thoughts this way, Li-san. It speaks of great wounding to my pride. What's on your mind?"

Syaoran did not tell him what was really on his mind. Instead, he used this opportunity to ask, " You do not behave the same as when you are in your true form."

Yukito leaned back, a little surprised by Syaoran's boldness, but not entirely displeased. " I would expect that. Yue and I are two different consciences."

Syaoran blinked. " How does that work?"

" I have no idea." Yukito paused. " Yue is not being forward about this, but in any case a lot of memories I had about myself were false. Not two months ago I thought I lived in this house with my grandparents. They don't exist, and I'm baffled myself how I failed to notice their constant absence. I guess I must have been pretty stupid, huh."

" Iie." Syaoran protested. " Magic can do lots of weird things. I've seen it. If I hadn't been immune to most spells, I'd probably be completely messed up by now. It's weird that you're a separate person though. You two talk to each other in there?"

" Hai." Yukito grinned, despite sensing Yue's growing irritation. " It's pretty interesting, actually. He's always been conscious of me—I kind of wonder how he allows me to do some things before and just sit back there. But he needed power—and there was not enough, until Sakura caught enough cards."

Syaoran blinked. " How is that?" He asked. " She has the basic foundations, doesn't she?"

" They needed to be…unlocked." Yukito squinted at Syaoran. " Are you _sure _you don't have any magic?"

Syaoran folded his arms, hurt. " Gomen nasai."

" Iie." Yukito said quickly. " I just find it strange, that's all."

" I don't think they felt a Key needed any." Syaoran looked down. " They probably thought it would just hang around and not do anything."

Yukito looked at him doubtfully.

" Does Yue come out often?" He asked Yukito.

" Only when necessary." Yukito decided not to tell Syaoran that Yue could hear and see everything Syaoran did. " Why? You want to talk to him?"

" Iie!" Syaoran cried quickly, " Iie, that's not what I meant."

Yukito privately snickered at Syaoran's shyness. Yue was not as amused, but Yukito ignored it.

" You're not scared, are you?" The older boy poked at Syaoran's side, causing Syaoran to cry out and jerk away. Grinning for the first time that day, Syaoran dodged around the room as Yukito chased him. The round continued, causing much mayhem to the room, until Yukito caught up to the elusive child and grabbed him around the middle. Syaoran squealed as they toppled over on the floor.

" Ahem!" Kero announced his presence when their laughter died down a bit. He had flown in through the window.

Syaoran was so startled he jumped clean into the air from where they were lying and fell back. Yukito barely caught him.

" Whoa! Easy there!" Kero called. " Kami-sama, it's just me, you gaki! Good grief!"

" Gomen nasai!" Syaoran was still in surprise. " Er…"

" Hey Kero-chan." Yukito greeted, helping Syaoran up. " What's happening?"

Kero had been bored.

" Hang out with me." He said to the kid. " There's nothing to do today! What are you guys doing?"

" We were watching movies, but we're not doing that anymore," Yukito told Kero. Outside a black bird landed on the trees and silently watched through the windows. " Maybe board games?"

Board games it was, for two more hours. It was now five, and even if Syaoran was not hungry, Yukito was famished. They debated a moment between Yukito's laziness to cook and the expensiveness of ordering out. Syaoran solved that problem by offering to cook himself. Neither guardian objected.

In the kitchen, Syaoran wondered what Sakura, Touya, and Tomoyo were doing. Perhaps the rain prevented them from coming, though it certainly did not prevent Kero. He was not sure how he would feel about having a large crowd on this day of days. In fact, today had been somewhat pleasant. He could tell Yukito had been doing his best to cheer him up. In fact, all of his new Japanese friends have been doing that—Sakura and Tomoyo had both made lunches especially for Syaoran after the cake (half of which went to Kero, to their great chagrin) and Kero had often popped by in the middle of the night (which Syaoran did not appreciate as much) to make sure Syaoran was alright. Touya also took Syaoran out (with Yukito or Kero in tow) to play basketball. Yukito himself once took Syaoran to the archery field to teach him how to shoot. That did not go very well, but if Syaoran had been slightly frustrated, Yukito was amazingly patient, especially when, to relieve some of his irritation at how often he missed, Syaoran had thrown the arrow instead, and it had not only managed to reach the board, it also hit the very center.

" Looks like you should be throwing darts instead." Yukito had joked. " You know, I personally find that much harder, but that's probably how you Chinese people are."

This was said in jest, of course, and Syaoran was much more concerned about why he could not seem to accomplish something so simple. After about an hour and a half though, while he was absolutely no match for Yukito, he was still able to hit close to the bulls-eye most of the time and right on some of the time.

Thinking about this, Syaoran felt a little guilty about always being so gloomy. He really should appreciate his new friends—and he did. But it was impossible to be as enthusiastic about life as his friends were trying to get him to be. He saw no bright future for himself, nor any hope of really surviving. But he really was grateful, and felt that even if all ends for the worse, he will always appreciate their kindness.

Outside, Sakura stopped right by Yukito's gate and stared intently at a crow. There was nothing magical that she could sense about the crow, but the fact that it was there made her very wary. She stood there for a moment, and the crow seemed to stare at her.

" What are you doing?" She muttered. Then, feeling she had nothing to lose, she called up, " Hey! What are you staring at my guardian's house for?"

The bird seemed to turn to her in surprise, which instantly made Sakura suspicious. She was still unprepared, unfortunately, when the raven suddenly shook its wings and disappeared in a puff of magic.

Yelling a loud exclamation of dismay, Sakura rushed through the gate and banged on the door. She kept banging until Yukito opened.

" Sakura-san?" Yukito cried in alarm, but Sakura did not give him time to ask further.

" Where's Li-kun?"

" He's right here." Kero rose into the air. " What's wrong?"

" There was a crow. It was a spy. Someone knows you're here. You better get out of here."

" Nani?!" Syaoran stood with a tomato in his hand.

Sakura suddenly stopped. " Hey wait a minute. I have the Time Card. What on earth was I thinking?"

" Matte—what are you doing?" Yukito protested, hearing only the words " Time Card" and " Spy". " What do you want to use the Time Card for?"

" To reverse time, so the spy wouldn't see Syaoran!"

" But you'd be asking for everyone to realize you have something to hide." Kero pointed out. " You better not use the Time Card in this case."

" Use Return. You do not have to go very far." Yukito suggested. " That way you may find out who is the spy and confront him."

" It was a crow." Sakura protested. " And for all I know, it was just a messenger. It puffed away too, so I couldn't follow where it flew."

" It _puffed _away?"

" Hai." Sakura nodded solemnly. " Beats me how it did it."

" It was a guardian." Yukito recognized. " But it may or may not have recognized Li."

Syaoran was beginning to think he should just hand himself over.

" Either way, I'm not letting anyone hurt him." Sakura took out her cards and began to look through them. " They have no clue who they're dealing with." She said angrily.

Feeling shattered by Sakura's gesture of friendship, Syaoran stared blankly at her as she traversed through her cards.

" You know what?" Sakura took out the Light and Dark Cards, " How about this. They want to send spies? I'll send spies of my own."

" You'll wear yourself out," Yukito warned.

" They're just scouting." And without further warning she released them. " Go track down you know what." She commanded grumpily. She then turned to Syaoran.

oO

Eriol, restless, was not content to simply for the promised year to pass before taking any action. He wanted to find out everything about this key. The unfortunate fact, however, was that no one actually knew anything more than he did about the Key—in fact, most knew less. Beyond the fact that it existed, that it was discovered in Hong Kong, that Li Shenti was the unfortunate blessed one and had died for it, no one knew anything about what the Key could do, and how to get it to do it. No books helped. The ten sorcerers had been as thorough as they possibly could about the creation of the key. No records were taken. There was absolutely no information to help Eriol.

" You could ask her to use the Return Card the way she had talked to Clow Reed." Spinel suggested. " Maybe they could give her some hints."

" They'll never trust her." Eriol shook his head. " She's eleven, they won't think she means any ill, but they won't believe she could protect Zhineng successfully."

" Well, get her to use the Return Card on Syaoran then."

" You know that does not work." Nakuru said to Spinel.

" It might. She's very resourceful." Eriol paced a little. " The creative ways she managed to outwit me. I swear, that girl is the brightest creature I have ever come across. But the problem still remains. She does not know when to use the Time Card to pull Zhineng out. Assuming it even works with Zhineng."

" Well, what else do you want her to do?"

" I do not know!"

" She could potentially kill anyone who tries to get the Key." Nakuru folded her arms. " I don't think Sakura would be too happy with that idea. Not to mention, she might as well just claim Zhineng and open those crystals herself if she does that."

" Assuming she knows how. God forbid, everyone else probably wants to sacrifice him on an altar. Assuming that's even the way of going about things." Eriol slammed his fist into his palm in distress. " In fact, that is probably exactly what the ten sorcerers were counting on. They kill the Key, the Key escapes and gets reincarnated, completely foiling their plans. But meanwhile, the first incarnation is dead. Therefore, the Key never gets used."

" But the Key was used. Zhineng opened the dimension when he was three."

" How the blazes does a three-year-old do it?" Eriol exclaimed in dismay. " And no one notices until his father actually carries around one of the crystals. And it disappears right after?" He suddenly fell silent.

Spinel and Nakuru glanced at each other. Eriol was usually mysterious and unpredictable, but in a calm, serene way, not anxious and distressed like he is now.

Light and Dark magic whipped past. Sakura was being discrete, and only Eriol's familiarity with the cards allowed him to detect their faint presence.

" What?" He blinked when he sensed them. " Halt!"

As with their nature, half of each halted while the rest continued on. Light and Dark were, in any case, natural elements of the world, not coherent beings. They formed into their true figures, though both looked a little distracted.

" What on earth are you two doing here?" Eriol asked, wondering if something had gone wrong. " Did Sakura release you two or did you just…" But if they had escaped, which was highly improbable in itself, the two would not have stopped at his command.

Light and Dark told Eriol what happened.

" Crow?" Eriol blinked. Brukton, on one of his tangents, had mentioned the Orb Mistress having a crow as a guardian. " Ugh!" Cursing, he reached for the phone. " Stay there." He ordered the Light and Dark Card.

Brukton, as good a source of information as ever, despite interspersing his explanations with tales of Bushisms, informed Eriol that the Orb Mistress was dead and her sister, Lady Aileen, lives in Russia.

" She knows a lot of spells." Eriol muttered. " Sakura knows a lot of tricks too." He thought wryly to the way Sakura had beaten him. " I'm sure she'll manage." And, without much hesitation, he dialed Sakura's number, then Yukito's, since Sakura was not at home.

oO

Yue was not sure when Sakura became so hot-tempered, but she was very anxious to give Lady Aileen a piece of her mind, so much so that both he and Kero started to worry about the state of said mind.

" Uh," Syaoran broke in uncomfortably as Sakura was getting ready, " You—" He really could not imagine this girl was the same girl who had cheerfully brought her friend over to give him chocolate cake. " Look, maybe you should give this more thought. You could get hurt. I mean, you don't know who you're dealing with here,"

" Oh I know who I'm dealing with." Sakura snapped back, although her grumpiness was not directed toward Syaoran. " They think they can sneak around here hurting my friends? This will show them. I will turn her into a candy corn! I will turn that crow into a sugar cane! I will switch their bodies for two years! You know I can! They'll think twice about coming here to hurt you again!"

" Eh," Syaoran uttered helplessly. He knew enough about magic thanks to his family, but he really did not understand the extent of Sakura's powers, so he really could not say. " Don't be rash," He said hesitantly. " Really, you should think before you go shooting off to Russia…"

" I'll be fine." Sakura replied adamantly. " Kero-chan, you coming?"

Kero gave Syaoran a helpless look.

" Seriously, is it really wise to just go barging into someone else's territory without provocation?"

" No provocation? She sent a crow to spy on my friend! That's pretty provoking, don't you think?"

The group fell silent at this.

" I am heading straight over there, right now. Kero, you're coming." Sakura summoned her staff.

" Matte." Syaoran reached out to grab Sakura's arm. The gestured startled both—Syaoran jumped back instantly and Sakura froze. Syaoran lowered his eyes nervously, but he had stopped Sakura.

" Maybe something more discrete." Yukito took the opportunity of saying. " Don't turn her into anything, but send her a warning. Show her that she should not underestimate you."

Sakura was silent for a long time, looking searchingly at Syaoran. Syaoran avoided her gaze.

" Are you listening?" Yukito tapped Sakura on the shoulder. " Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked at Yukito, then looked at Syaoran, worried. Syaoran did not look up. She sighed.

" What should we do then?" She asked. " What message should I send?"

" Dream Card?" Kero gestured.

" I don't even know what she looks like."

" You wanted to charge over to Russia earlier."

" Well I stood a better chance of finding her when I'm there."

" You mean you stood a better chance of waltzing into a trap." Yukito replied.

" I—" Sakura stopped. " Hm. You have a point there."

" Use the cards to locate this Lady person." Kero fluttered to Syaoran's side. The boy looked like he was shriveling right there. " You, in the kitchen. I'm still waiting and I'm starving!"

Syaoran jumped, having been successfully diverted by Kero's comment, hurried to the kitchen.

Sakura looked at Yukito. " How do I locate someone I don't even know?"

Yukito gestured silently at the cards in her hand.


	7. Chapter 7

The Key

Chapter 7

Sakura headed straight to work.

The cards found her intended subject. She used the Dream Card instantly. At her abode, Lady Aileen dropped to the ground under the remote spell, alarming her guardians. Sakura had waited for Syaoran to go to bed as Yukito did not feel good about letting him see what she was about to do.

" Lady Aileen." Sakura said out loud when the spell was successfully cast. She did not need to speak out loud, but speaking out loud made her think coherently. She could see the woman behind her eyelids (her eyes were closed), and feel her presence, her magical aura struggling to fight against Sakura's spell which Sakura squashed with ease. Eriol was not kidding when he said she was weak. " You should have known better than to toy with me and those I care about."

Lady Aileen stopped struggling at this, realizing it was useless anyway. " What is he to you?" She inquired, and Sakura noted suddenly that while they spoke different languages, they both seemed to understand each other. " He is a stranger. A person of no consequence to you. Unless you wish to use the Key for yourself, as everyone else."

Sakura frowned, still not opening her eyes. " What do you intend to use him for?" She asked. " Something barbaric, perhaps. What ambitions do you have, that you would trespass my territory?"

" Ah yes, Tomoeda is your territory, I suppose." Aileen replied. " And as for how I intend to use him, you should know better, Card Mistress. We are all in a dangerous game. Not all of us have ambitions, but we are wary of those who do. I simply wish to claim him so others like you would not."

Sakura frowned deeper. " Others like me? What is that supposed to mean?"

" You mean you have not tried to use him yet?"

" Use him?" Sakura sneered. In the real world Yukito frowned. He had no idea what was going on, hearing only Sakura's side of the conversation. " Iie, I do not intend to use him. He is a free human being."

Aileen sneered, or did something like it, for Sakura felt the contempt through the bond the Dream Card generated. " Your good morals are commendable, Card Mistress." She replied. " But a free human being, he is not. His soul is not of natural creation. It was made, by those like you and me, such that what should not be unlocked will not be. A Key, an item. Something to be used, or in this case, destroyed as often as possible."

Anger flared in Sakura's mind at these words. " Your morals are not so commendable, Lady Aileen. There are ways around everything. It merely takes someone smart enough to do it."

_Hai. _Yukito thought when he heard this. _That would be why Sakura's getting a little less popular these days. She's starting to get a little too smart._

" And you believe yourself to be capable of coming up with alternatives?" Aileen laughed. " You may be strong, little girl, but you fight against the world."

" The world is not always right." Sakura replied. " You have two choices. You can either try, along with the rest of the world. I can dispose of you easily. Or, you can free yourself from the folly of others. The decision is yours. He came to Japan to seek my protection. If you choose to fight against me, you will not end well." She broke off the connection.

_Kami-sama!_ Yukito thought. _Is she only eleven years old?_

" Oh boy." Sakura said when she opened her eyes. " Did I even use half the vocabulary correctly? I felt almost like someone else was talking through my mouth. Did you ever get that feeling? Well…I guess you're kind of the wrong person to ask."

oO

" Lady Aileen! Lady Aileen?"

Aileen woke, feeling very weak. She was unable to see the Card Mistress, but she sensed her power. She ignored the cries of her guardians as they helped her to her feet.

" I'm alright." She said, waving them off. She wanted to think. Li Zhineng had found himself a formidable protector. She herself stood no chance. Others, though, may.

She did have two choices. She could fight the Card Mistress, essentially, or help her. If she fought the Card Mistress she would surely lose, and there is no one trustworthy enough to form any sort of alliance. On the other hand, the Card Mistress would hardly dispose to be trusting of the sister of a sorceress who tried to kill her charge and his late sister.

She needed time.

oO

Sakura's bet with Fate, while it did not lead to any dire consequences they could see, worried Syaoran so much that his fears bloomed to life in his dreams that night. The boy woke up in tears.

Yukito burst into the room as he woke. " Li-san?" He cried, " Li—Whoa!"

He grabbed the boy's shoulders as the child continued screaming. " Whoa there!" Yukito called again. " Easy! It's me! It's me, Yukito!"

Syaoran stared up at him, shaking so much he looked like he was having a seizure. He was still trapped in the visions in his nightmare. " Yue," He wailed in Chinese, " Yue I'm sorry, Yue—"

" Easy!" Yukito sat down on the bed. " It was only a nightmare, Syaoran. It was only a nightmare."

Syaoran continued weeping. " I don't want her to die! I don't want more to die!" He choked, tears gushing out as his face contorted in wretched misery so that they splashed on Yukito's hand. Without even realizing, Yukito had the boy in a tight embrace, trying to calm the shivering.

" It's okay," Yukito whispered, while Yue worried that Syaoran's dream might have been a premonition. " I'm here."

" I don't want to lose you," Syaoran had not come to his senses yet, " Only people I have, I won't lose you!"

" No, you won't." Yukito stroked Syaoran's sweat-soaked hair, feeling a pain in his heart he could not describe. " We'll be here. We will take care of you."

" I don't want anything to happen to you." Syaoran was still sobbing.

" Nothing will happen to us." Yukito sighed. Syaoran clung to Yukito as he tried to calm down. Yukito continued to stroke his hair. " Hush now, everything is okay. It was just a dream."

It was a long while before Syaoran was able to calm down. Between shuddering, he managed to gasp out, " Where am I?"

" You're safe." Yukito replied after a slight hesitation.

" Where?" Syaoran looked up, tremors still breaking through his form. He stared at Yukito like he did not recognize him for a moment. " Father?"

It was the darkness, Yue decided. There was no other way the boy would mistake him. Although, considering the last time Syaoran had seen his father had been when he was three years old, anything could happen.

" It's me, Yukito." He told the boy. He said no more.

Looking as lost as ever, Syaoran withdrew from Yukito's embrace, as if sensing something inappropriate about it. Outside it was still raining, as it had been since that morning, and when lightning flashed Syaoran's cheeks glimmered from his tears.

_What kind of nightmare was it? _Yue wondered, pitying the boy despite himself.

_He was dreaming about us. _Yukito answered quietly. _Didn't you hear what he had been screaming? He was afraid of losing us. He probably thinks he'll cause our deaths._

That was something Yue actually worried about as well, but seeing the boy so distressed over the same thing made his heart secretly melt.

" I didn't mean to wake you." Syaoran mumbled at last, after sitting there staring at nothing for a while.

" Hey," Yukito reached out to pat the back of the boy's head, " That was one hell of a nightmare eh?" He did not ask what it was about, since it was obvious. " You're going to be fine."

" I'm not worried about me." Syaoran replied, and Yue knew he was telling the truth. Yukito reached out and gently wiped the tears away. _He's still so thin._

Syaoran reclined back. Yukito waited for a moment, wondering if he should stay or go, but then Syaoran laughed. It was a strange laugh, very unnerving, like Syaoran had meant to cry but did the opposite with the same effect.

" I thought life sucked." The boy said, rather loudly. His voice was hoarse from his earlier screams, but it was strong, and flat, like sarcasm. He was so exhausted from those restless nights and constant hiding emotions inside him that he did not even care that Yukito was listening, or that Yue, who did not seem to like him and never came out, was listening as well. " I thought life sucked before. Everything was about magic, and I had none of it. They used to call me Little Wolf, just because my nickname was Syaoran, and trail after me until they reach within the range of my _Niang_ and they'd run away. Mom believed me, but all the other parents called me a liar. Their kids would never be so mean—but they were. They even started trying all sorts of spells on me. The first time they sent ice shards at me. The elders found out and punished them. I was not to be target practice. But then they tried mind spells, and all sorts of spells, really. They wanted to see what kind of spells they could get me with. No way to defend myself, you know? I guess the immunity was lucky in itself. And when they ran out of spells to throw at me without people noticing, they acted like I didn't exist. I often wished magic wasn't so important to the clan. They wouldn't talk to me. Thought I was beneath them." He laughed again and burst into tears anew. " There was only _Niang, _and my other sisters. They were my whole world. They even got in tons of trouble because they wanted to protect me. I'm always getting protected." He sobbed convulsively. " I can never protect anyone!"

Yue was completely at a loss, and Yukito, who usually knew what to do with this sort of thing—he had rejected Sakura's love more gently than Yue could ever do—but here both were lost. The despair in the child's words were deep beyond words, and the truth of the boy's past, though not surprising given the circumstances, were painful to hear.

" I kept wanting to leave." Syaoran whispered. " Kept wanting to leave. Leave the Li clan, leave Hong Kong, go somewhere where magic isn't the only thing worth living for. I guess I wished for it the wrong way because…" He turned his face away from Yukito, facing the window, where the lightning flashed again, followed by a boom of thunder a whole five seconds later.

Yukito rose, grabbing some tissues, and wiped away the new tears on the boy's face. When the boy sniffled, he handed more tissues over.

" Li-san," Yukito said softly, " I don't know if you know this, but the reincarnation of Clow Reed, Hiirigaziwa Eriol, is in England right now."

Syaoran did not respond, but he paused, showing that he in fact did not know that was where Sakura found out all her information.

" He's going to come for you in a year. Meanwhile, he's working on a way to settle everything. It will be alright, Li-san. No one is going to die. You should know, Sakura is very good at what she does. When she sets her mind to something, she will make it work. And she has her mind set on protecting you." Yukito leaned forward, and, despite Yue's protestation, added, " As do I.'

oO

" Calls to Hong Kong, and calls to Tomoeda. My my, have you been busy lately, Hiirigaziwa."

With half his powers given to Kinomoto Fujitaka, Eriol was formidable but no longer as dangerous as he used to be. Fortunately, Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun were not weaklings and their power was not halved. They currently stood before him to guard him against any attack.

" I have a new successor, as I am sure you know." Eriol replied calmly. It was dark, as it was early in the morning, and he was in his pajamas still, as the sorcerers had intruded into his bedroom. " I also happen to have five descendants who were murdered, and one missing. Do you happen to know what happened?"

The sorcerer, who Eriol could not see but could sense, laughed scornfully. " Very nice. As composed and collected as every, Hiirigaziwa. Tell us then: if we tear this place apart, will we find the Key?"

" I think you're getting way ahead of yourselves." Ruby replied. " For one thing: you're not tearing anything apart. We're doing the tearing!"

There were about five sorcerers in Eriol's bedroom, versus the guardians and Eriol. But Eriol had the mansion on his side, even if the shields somehow failed. As the guardians lunged forward, Eriol swung his staff and ordered the mansion to protect him and his guardians. Within minutes the sorcerers were taken care of.

Eriol sighed, withdrawing his staff. " This is not going as planned at all."

" Nope." Spinel agreed. " What now?"

Eriol knelt by one of the sorcerers that was still conscious. " I want you to tell me _everything."_

The woman glared up at him.

" This will not help you." Eriol replied. " How did you break in?"

" Like hell I'll tell you."

" You can tell me or I can break into your head and dig it out of you."

" I would like to see you try." She spat back.

Eriol released a breath, and did exactly as he threatened. He ignored her screams of agony and took his time in understanding everything she knew. He broke out, and the sorceress fell unconscious.

" Could you take just a bit longer, please?" Ruby exclaimed sarcastically, when he was done.

Eriol stood, running his fingers through his hair. " If only I can see the kid." He lamented quietly.

Suddenly, the ground tremored.

" We will not be getting any peace until they find him." Eriol sighed. " Come on, we better defend best we can, but make sure you keep Zhineng's real location as ambiguous as possible."

" How do you plan on doing that?"

" Kill." Eriol said simply.

oO

Yukito woke to a severe headache. He grimaced as he sat up, wondering for a moment why his neck was so stiff. Remembering in a rush, he climbed out of bed. He had stayed with Syaoran until he fell asleep, but he had been so tired he was not sure if he would have heard him if the child screamed.

Syaoran was not in his room. " Li-san?"

Kero suddenly popped up at the window. " He's out here."

Yukito paused. " Why is he out there, exactly?"

" Yukito-san!" Sakura's voice called out from the back yard. Yukito headed to the window. " Check these out!"

It was then that Yukito heard a whirring noise, then the sound of something hitting a tree. He looked down to find Sakura and Syaoran in the yard, both holding sticks, and Syaoran was getting something from the tree.

" Otou-san got me Chinese yo-yos!" Sakura called up. " Li-kun is teaching me how to use them! Come join!"

Syaoran actually knew a few tricks with the Chinese yo-yo.

" This one's a hard one." He was telling Sakura when Yukito joined them. " You bend your right arm this way, then you throw it up, and then you hook the string around and you swing it like so," He demonstrated, " I don't get it each time," He admitted, as the yo-yo started twirling around and knotting the string.

" I've gotten it to at least start," Sakura looked up at Yukito when she saw him. " Check this out." The whirring noise began again, rivalling the cicada calls.

" That's pretty neat." Yukito studied Syaoran. The boy looked much better than he expected. Perhaps Sakura was providing a good enough diversion.

Sakura was a quick learner, even if she was not completely comfortable with it, and the string kept fraying so the yo-yo would get stuck. Eventually she was brave enough to try a few throws, though she did not understand how to catch it.

" Lift your stick up." Syaoran told her. " Your right stick, and aim for it. Let it travel down the string."

Yukito left the two children to their devices, heading inside the house. After a while, Kero entered as well.

" Interesting Chinese gaki." He said good-naturedly. " I like this kid."

" Hm."

" Hanging around for a whole year." Kero muttered. " Eriol sure knows how to demand things. What are you going to do about college?"

" Probably leave the house to him." Yukito replied. Leaving Syaoran in Tomoeda, stranded, for a year was proving to be a headache for all of them, made more difficult by the fact that all of them decided not to let Syaoran know about the plan until they worked all the problems out. First of all, Yukito was going to a college far away from Tomoeda, along with Touya. This meant at the very least, Fujitaka had to pay for his son's far-off expenses, therefore Syaoran could not live with the Kinomotos. Leaving the house to the youngster was not a big problem; Yukito had apparently lived by himself in that house ever since he was ten years old, but what was Syaoran going to do in the meantime?

" He can enroll."

" Enroll in Tomoeda Elementary?"

" Why not?" Kero shrugged. " Your distant cousin, maybe."

" He speaks fluent enough Japanese. It might work," Yukito agreed. " Although, probably not distant cousin. It is suspicious enough no one has heard of him for seven years."

" Where does he come from then?"

" Tokyo? He has the accent. And Tokyo's big enough that all sorts of weirdos pop up there. It could account for him not applying traditional customs if he ever slips. Hong Kong's a big city, Tokyo's a big city. And there are so many people there, it wouldn't be too surprising if he popped out of nowhere."

" Well if he's not a cousin of yours what is he then?"

" I don't know."

" Come on, we have to make a thorough alias for this kid. First of all he can't be a Li."

" Iie. What's a very common Chinese name?"

" Li."

" What's the second most common name?"

" You realize he's from Tokyo, not Hong Kong."

" Ah, right. What's a common Japanese surname? Sato?"

" You're asking for it. Sato means 'assistance'."

" Right, going for something that wouldn't clue them in. What next?"

" Suzuki?"

" Bell tree?" Yukito frowned. " Doesn't seem like Li."

" Oh please. Fine time to be picky!"

" Fine. Suzuki. Real name?"

" I like Akira. Kid's real intelligent, so it's fitting."

" Akira?" Yukito blinked. " I like. Suzuki Akira." He turned to Kero. " He's going to kill us."

" Who, the kid?" Kero grinned. " He'll like it too, I'm sure. Suzuki Akira. Now, why is he hanging around you, if he's not related to you?"

" That's a problem, isn't it." Yukito frowned. " Unless we want to do a mass brainwash, we have to explain why we were as confused as everyone else about why he was suddenly hanging around Penguin Park and not talking to anyone."

" Good point. We didn't know who he was either, and people knew that."

" And there's that problem of people seeing him at his apartment building before."

" We could make a direct gateway. Say the front door. Since Li is so good at opening locks, we can have the Lock Card form a lock only he or Sakura opens. Then the door can open to here."

" Direct transport?"

" Why not? Mix Loop and Maze. Sakura is good at that. You create a portal from the apartment entrance to here. Sakura's influence spans enough that that little bit of magic wouldn't be sensed unless they knew what they were looking for."

" That is an idea. Then Suzuki doesn't need any relation with any of us, other than normal friends. Too bad he can't invite anyone home."

" You don't want him to invite anyone home. In his case, with people out for his blood, it's best to give up society a little bit."

" True. I can ask Sakura to help put up some wards around this house." Yukito frowned. " Assuming this house doesn't already have wards. I need to investigate a little bit."

Several hours later Sakura came inside to help Yue and Kero locate any hidden wards in the house. The three scattered over the house to scan wider, and Syaoran sat in the living room feeling rather useless. He did not complain, though, and the three were too absorbed in their work to really notice what he was doing.

While Sakura went up to the attic and Yue and Kero circled outside, a young woman sat down next to Syaoran on the living room couch. He started when she appeared.

" Konnichiwa." She greeted, as it was early in the afternoon. " You were pretty good with the yo-yo."

Syaoran studied her a little bit.

" Who are you?" He asked, a little surprised by her sudden appearance and her actual appearance. " Are you Sakura's mother? I never saw you around."

" Hai. I am Nadeshiko." She smiled warmly.

" I never saw you at the Kinomoto's."

" I was not there for a while. I have been out of touch with the living lately."

" Gomen ne." Syaoran replied uncomfortably. " I was a little absorbed, so I did not see you until just now." He finished awkwardly.

" I apologize if I startled you."

" Iie." Syaoran shrugged. " As long as you don't suddenly attack me." _How did she get in the house?_

" Yes you have had a lot of those."

Syaoran was silent for a while. Then he put his thought to words. " How did you get in here?"

Nadeshiko smiled. " I came when you and my daughter were out playing."

" Oh." Syaoran wondered why Yukito did not introduce him to her. Although once Sakura came inside everyone seemed very anxious to get to work. " Well, I am Li Zhineng. You can call me Syaoran."

" Soon to be Akira, I think." Nadeshiko replied. " They came up with an alias for you."

" Akira? What does that mean?"

" Suzuki Akira. For intelligent. You apparently earned the high opinion from Kero." Nadeshiko smiled.

" Suzuki Akira?" Syaoran blinked. It felt strange. " They're going to call me that?"

" You ought to get used to it." She smiled. " They haven't worked out everything yet. Besides where you came from, Tokyo, and your birthday, I believe it is June 9th."

" Oh." Syaoran blinked again. " I see."

The two talked for a moment before Nadeshiko rose, telling Syaoran she had to leave.

" I will tell Yukito-san that I am leaving." She said. " Why don't you watch some television? Do you like anime?"

" Not really." Syaoran replied truthfully. " I like manga better. Anime is so slow."

Nadeshiko smiled fondly at him. " Ah well, take your pick. I shall see you later, Suzuki-san." She headed upstairs.

None the wiser, Syaoran turned on the television. When Yue came down, Syaoran did not mention Nadeshiko, although he did wonder why Yue never asked about how their conversation went.


	8. Chapter 8

The Key

Chapter 8

" Personal gain, much?" Sakura complained a little when she used Sleep to deal with the security in the apartment. " We should also change the name next to his apartment number. It says Li Syaoran."

A quick rewrite took care of that. " Suzuki Akira. I don't think he looks like a Suzuki. Do you?"

" Does it matter?" Kero muttered. " Just use the Maze."

" Maze would be too powerful though." Sakura objected. " I think just Loop is enough. I ran through the Loop about a dozen times or so without even realizing it was there." She took out the Lock Card. " This, on the other hand, is a little bit iffy. Li-kun can...I mean Suzuki-kun...Kami-sama, I have to get used to that." The girl rubbed her head. " I think I'll just call him Akira-chan. I'll ask if I can do that."

" I don't think he cares," Kero angled his head at the door. " Let's get on with this." For some reason he seemed a little edgy that night.

With some careful manipulating, Sakura decided that she needed to cast the Loop first, and then link the Lock Card to the Loop Card. The hard part was allowing the actual residents to enter the building without activating the Loop or getting trapped outside due to the Lock.

" Li–I mean, Akira-chan still has the apartment key, doesn't he?"

" Hai." Kero nodded.

" So we can make the Lock another lock, somehow. Bugger, this means I need to make another lock."

" Use Create, Sakura. It's probably easier."

It was, as the lock Sakura created was much more customized to her purposes than any lock she could get in a store. Once she created the lock it materialized into existence without much hint of its magical origins other than the tiny burst of magic released during its formation. She inserted it through the door and used the Lock Card on it. Checking to make sure the Loop was still there, she turned around to Kero. " Well, that was easier than I thought it would be."

" Pretty skillful. You're getting really good at this." Kero approved. " Although we should still check to make sure the Loop was looping at the right place. And we need a little bit of Illusion too, to make sure the people inside don't see the door opening by itself."

" Right. Hoe! How am I supposed to do that?" Sakura lamented. " If I just toss Illusion in there the door never looks like it opens."

" Well the Illusion can move, you know." Kero pointed out. " Come on, let me show you."

oO

Syaoran unluckily learned of a new skill that night. He woke up frightened by nightmares, but fortunately he did not cry out, or at least he thought he did not. From the silence in the hall, even if he did, he did not wake Yukito, so it was fine.

Feeling miserable and wishing even more for his mother, he sat up a little. And froze. There was something on the table across his bed. As the wind blew the tree branches out of the way, the moonlight shimmered into the room and he saw a pair of eyes, sideways, on the table.

Syaoran stared at the decapitated head in frozen horror. The terror was so great he could not utter a sound or move a muscle. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The blank eyes stared straight at him. The face did not move.

For the longest time the poor child froze there in shock, too frightened to even blink. Yukito woke when Yue sensed another being in the house, and worried that the wards he and Sakura cast somehow failed, transformed into his true form and located the being to Syaoran's room. Deciding to be discrete, he slowly and silently opened the door, so that when he peered in Syaoran did not even realize help was near.

Sensing the magical presence, Yue easily found its source. He, too, froze in shock. The head did nothing. It did not even roll. The face did not move at all, only that blank stare, straight at the boy, who was awake and staring back, very still.

The face's resemblance to Syaoran made its owner easily identifiable. Yue took a moment to determine if the head was possessed. He doubted anything that was so mauled would be worth possessing.

" Child," He called, holding out his hand. " Child, come here."

There was no way for Syaoran to obey. The child was petrified.

" Child, come here, quickly." Yue tried again, but it was no use. The head did not react either. Was it a real head, or a soul? Yue could not tell from here.

When the child did not react the third time, Yue decided he had to go to Syaoran instead. Slowly circling about the room, keeping the head within sight, Yue reached the boy. The child did not react to his presence. It seemed his entire conscience was taken over by the horror in front of him.

Moved by pity, Yue quickly enveloped the child with his arms, shifting his wings so they blocked the vision. Syaoran cried out then, tears, held back only by fear, gushing out in alarm. He blocked with his hand, and once again Yue felt the wind getting knocked out of him, though the erratic energy was not enough to push him back. Ignoring the momentary pain, the moon guardian gathered the child to him and leaped back from the bed, away from the head.

Syaoran started to tremble, badly. His small, thin arms squeezed around Yue's neck in a choking hold. In response, Yue embraced Syaoran more tightly, feeling very much unnerved himself, and hurriedly fled the room.

oO

Too terrified for tears, Syaoran remained alarmingly silent afterwards, his wits completely frightened out of him. He did not release Yue when Yue arrived at the Kinomoto's. Fujitaka, a little unhappy at first at being woken, was quickly moved to horror when he heard the story, remembering his reaction when he first saw his wife's body after the horrible accident.

Once Eriol split his powers with Fujitaka, they had to give him a reason why he was suddenly seeing Nadeshiko everywhere that would not result in placing him in a psychiatric ward. Fujitaka was not as enthusiastic about trying out his powers, nor did Kero seem to promote the idea. At the moment, he sincerely wished either he was more comfortable with magic, or his daughter was less.

" Child, let go." Yue ordered the boy when Fujitaka agreed to take care of him. He had much to do, and no time to comfort the distraught boy. " I need you to let me go. You are safe here, with friends. Come on." But Syaoran did not respond. He clung to Yue, still shaking.

The guardian sighed. " I need to see if it was a soul or if it was the actual head." He explained to the groggy but alarmed Sakura and Touya. " Although he saw it, too. But if it was the actual head that means someone put it there." Which meant someone got past the wards. _Seriously, _Yue thought, angry because he himself was spooked, and also because he was secretly terrified for the boy, _You did not strike me as someone who is afraid of ghosts. And she could just be a head. It is not as if it hurt you.  
_

But it was not the fact that she might be a ghost, or that the head could potentially do anything, that made Syaoran so uncharacteristically disobedient, and they all knew.

" Don't say it in front of him!" Sakura scolded, completely empathizing Syaoran's fear of ghosts. " Akira-chan, you're safe now, it's okay." She patted Syaoran's back awkwardly.

" You come with me, once we get him off?" Yue asked Fujitaka, who nodded uncertainly and looked at Touya.

" He has my ghost-seeing abilities." Touya explained to his father, whose puzzled expression did not lessen, suggesting Touya did not answer his question.

" Child, I need you to let me go." Yue said more harshly this time. The more time they wasted trying to get the boy off him, the more time they lose to get to the bottom of this. " Touya-san, if you can help?"

Touya approached, but just then Syaoran let go, stiffly, and when Yue and Touya set him to the couch, he fell awkwardly to the side, as if paralyzed.

" You kids will be alright?" Fujitaka asked, grabbing his keys and wondering what he was getting himself into. It sounded like a nightmare come to life.

" Hai." Sakura nodded, as Touya sat Syaoran upright again. She quickly set to work getting some ice cream from the freezer.

Once outside, Fujitaka murmured, " This is monstrous, if it were a real head. I don't know if I can stomach any decapitated head unless it were made of paper mache, or plastic. I can't believe they would do this to that poor kid."

The head was still there. It had turned, slightly, on the table, and as they entered was turning a little more before it stopped.

" It's a ghost." Fujitaka recognized instantly, very unnerved. " I can feel its energy. It feels torn somehow, very unlike Nadeshiko's."

" Why is it here?" Yue asked, equally disturbed. " If it is stuck in this plane of existence, why did it turn up now?"

" There's a hand over there." Fujitaka pointed out the disturbing fact. The hand was poking a little from under Syaoran's pillow. " Also a ghost."

Yue stared. " I cannot believe this. What is she doing?"

Nadeshiko materialized into existence, surprising Yue, though Fujitaka was used to her. " Gomen nasai." She apologized when Yue started. She glanced over at Yelan. " I am afraid they did not know he was able to see them."

Yue stared at Sakura's mother in surprise. Touya told Yukito some ghost stories before which were never verified, even after Touya passed along his magic. " I have never seen you." He said slowly, in dismay, justifying his ignorance of her presence that entire day. " I did not know you were still around."

" I was gone for a time." Nadeshiko replied. " I appeared this afternoon and spoke with your charge. He did not know I was a ghost."

" So Li-san has the ability to see ghosts, along with opening any magical lock and immunity to spells that affect magic and mind." Yue muttered. They should have expected such a thing; the Key, after all, was designed to traverse dimensions, and the power to see ghosts should pale in comparison.

" What is going on?" Fujitaka asked his late wife. " What is this?"

" That is Li Yelan." Nadeshiko replied. " Li Zhineng's mother. They killed her by cutting her to pieces with magic spells, thus maiming her soul. The same was done to her four daughters. They were uneasy though, I think. I have seen this before, where souls of departed ones remain and look for those they loved in life. Because she was maimed her energy is unfocused and she was not able to locate her son until now. She travels with difficulty as well, and is unable to respond to her surroundings."

" That is lamentable." Yue replied, " But nevertheless, she is causing more harm than good. She must move out."

" Hai." Nadeshiko agreed. " She has been trying for a while though. She will need some help."

" Can you?" Fujitaka asked, noticing how his wife did not seem perturbed at all.

" Hai." Nadeshiko nodded. " She has seen for herself. Her son has found friends. I will help her mend." She turned to Yue. " There may be others though. His sisters may eventually arrive as well."

Yue sighed. " This child is more trouble than he is worth."

oO

" He's not answering." Sakura hung up several hours later. " I wonder why he's not answering."

" Maybe Eriol is busy calling other people?"

" It's not the busy tone. It's just ringing, and nothing else."

" Hm." Yukito said thoughtfully, rocking Syaoran back and forth. Syaoran was still quiet, though he was weeping so much his eyes could barely open. In contrast to Yue's coldness, Yukito was doing everything he could to shower Syaoran with comfort, kissing the boy's head, stroking his hair, wiping away the constant stream of tears. Syaoran was hurting, he knew, less from the horror visage but more from what it all meant. The idea that his family had suffered such torture was too much for the child to take. Yukito embraced Syaoran tightly and rocked the boy with purpose, willing that somehow this small bit of affection could lessen the child's pain. " What's done is done, then. Eriol cannot help, anyway. I will stay with Syaoran until they are all convinced that he is alright, and then they should leave him be, I think, to heal themselves." He kissed Syaoran's head again. " They love you very much, don't cry, okay?" _Or cry, but don't cry so silently. Anything is better than this silent agony._

Syaoran did not respond. He hung limply in Yukito's arms. Sakura's ice cream melted on the table. Syaoran managed a few jerked mouthfuls before they lost him.

" I'll take him home." Yukito said. " Thanks for helping."

" Iie." Fujitaka patted the boy's shoulder sympathetically. Touya snored loudly, then woke as his father passed him. Though Sakura was responsible for the ice cream, it was all up to Touya to assure Syaoran did not freak out on them. The task wore the boy out considerably. " That was terrible." His father continued. " You take good care of him, alright? And if you ever need anything, bring him over here."

" Hai." Yukito smiled. " Come on," He lifted Syaoran, kissing the child's wet cheek. " You're safe, okay? I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked Sakura.

" Hai." Sakura reached out to take Syaoran's limp hand. She gave it a squeeze, feeling downright depressed. It seemed nothing was going right for him. Kero, resting on Syaoran's shoulder using all of his plushie-charms to distract the boy to no avail, fluttered off as Yukito turned around.

" What a mess." Touya muttered once Yukito left. " Now ghosts from Hell are haunting the kid. He doesn't get a break, does he?"

Fujitaka glanced at the clock. " It's five in the morning. Sun's going to be up in half an hour. You kids want to snooze a few hours? It's summer, after all."

" Hai." Sakura nodded wearily. " Kero-chan, let's go to bed."

Instead of sleeping, though, Sakura ended up talking to Kero all the way until the afternoon.

" I don't know." Sakura sighed. " It was creepy enough hearing Oni-chan talk about Oka-san like she was still here. Oni-chan never implied she was strange in any way though. I can't imagine how he feels. It's horrible that they did that to his mom."

" It would be better if he never knew." Kero lamented, equally depressed. " Even if they did chop up his mom, would be better if they just 'died'. But they were looking for him."

" That's just freaky."

" Can you blame them?" Kero pointed out, his tail curling from side to side in dismay. " They were worried. They had no other way to make sure. Ruined spirits, it's called. They had to crawl their way over to him to make sure he's okay. It's a slow process, which meant once they did know for sure, the going is a bit rough also."

" At least they're not deranged as well." Sakura muttered from under the covers. The window blew at the curtains a little, sending in a somewhat chilly breeze. " I feel bad for them too. I wouldn't want my son to see me like that. And Syaoran freaked, too."

" He's more upset about what everything meant than the actual sight itself." Kero said knowingly. " We have a lot of work ahead of us, if we want to cheer him up. And Sakura, give Yue a whack for me, will you? He was a downright jerk earlier!"

" Give _Yue _a whack?" Sakura exclaimed. Despite being much more comfortable with both her guardians over time, and threatening to turn Yue into a sweet during her final judgment, she was still too much in awe of Yue to do something so offensive to his pride. " If you're so macho, Kero-chan, give him a whack yourself!"

" You think I never tried?" Kero huffed. " It's not like Yue ever listens to me, you know. Or at least, not on these issues. He used to be a lot more open about these things. Then he closed off."

" After Clow Reed died?" Sakura asked, softer.

" Hai." Kero nodded. Morning filtered into the room at that point, so she could see him clearly. " Then he made it his lifelong goal to become a complete jerk."

" Don't put it that way." Sakura sighed. " He was nice enough to me."

" Only because he has to. Well, that's not true." Kero shrugged. " He's nice because he allowed himself to be nice. That's what I meant. He does care for you."

" I know." Sakura replied solemnly, but she saw what Kero meant. " He doesn't want to hurt himself any more than he has to. He thinks he can care about me because I'm his master, but Akira-chan isn't, so he's not going to be nice to him. Granted, Kero-chan, it's not like Yue was downright cruel. He did have to put Akira-chan down in order to investigate the 'ghost infestation'," She used Yue's term, " And he could just bring Akira back with him but he didn't, because he knew it would hurt Akira."

" Alright, not a complete jerk." Kero conceded. " Still. He could have done better."

" Hai, well," Sakura shut her eyes, " He's doing his best. You can't whack him for that."

At the Tsukishiro residence, Yukito stayed with Syaoran, though neither went to bed. Instead Yukito turned on the television to watch some Japanese dramas, hopefully some of them stupid enough to cheer Syaoran out of his stupor. He kept his hold on Syaoran, stroking his hair and talking between the dialogue on the screen. Syaoran was unresponsive; save for his blinking and hitched breathing, it was hard to tell he was even conscious.

" You're alright." Yukito kept telling him. It was a nasty scare. " You're alright. I'm right here."

Still, Syaoran did not sleep that night, and both were glad when morning dawned.

oO

Thus far only Lady Aileen knew where Li Zhineng ended up. She noticed increased activity in London; it seemed most people preferred to take their chances with the half-powered Clow Reed rather than the unknown-powered new Card Mistress in Tomoeda. The sorcerers have constantly disappeared.

" Clow Reed isn't known for killing people." The crow observed. " What happened to all of them?"

" He might kill them for the sake of his descendant." Aileen replied grimly. " He might resort to murder to protect his location. Clow Reed may not kill often, but that was only because he did not have to."

" Hm." The crow cawed. " Bad business, this. We should hurry."

" No." Aileen objected. " Tomoeda is closed to us, for now. We best watch carefully." She paused. " When the Clow Cards were released, Tomoeda had a substitute teacher, Mizuki Kaho. After Hiirigaziwa left Tomoeda at the end of the school year, Mizuki went to England with him. There is at least one space open in that school."

" You plan on substituting?" The crow cawed. " The Card Mistress will have your neck."

" The Card Mistress does not know who I am. She may have detected me and was able to pass along a message, but she was unable to do more. I can disguise myself and apply for a job. It will allow me to get close to the child without having to act. And perhaps I can even earn his trust." She folded her arms. " Assuming the child goes to school."

" He might." The crow replied.

" Yes." Aileen agreed. " If only to avoid attention. He will place himself in a crowd. It is probably safer for him to be out in public than to be trapped at home." She waved her hand to summon a scroll. " I suppose we shall have to make a trip to Tomoeda."


	9. Chapter 9

The Key

Chapter 9

Kero and Tomoyo kept Syaoran company while Yukito registered Syaoran for the school. Yukito had some trouble getting through to them, and had to call Sakura often in order to work some magic on his visa (the visa said Syaoran's name was Li Zhineng, from Hong Kong) in order to turn it into the proper document with the proper documentation to make the fake story he and Kero made up halfway legitimate. After some masterful forging of papers, Suzuki Akira was finally registered for the school, with some weird looks as to why Yukito was the one doing it and not Suzuki's actual guardian.

At the Tsukishiro's, Tomoyo and Kero found much better company in Syaoran than they expected. Syaoran seemed determined to pretend the previous night never happened, which was more easily done than anticipated because the day, in contrast with the night before, was bright and sunny and inappropriately cheerful. Syaoran tested Sakura's loop, found himself emerging from the apartment building, and felt very disoriented, especially when an emergency vehicle sped by in a loud flurry of lights.

Despite all pretense of normalcy, Syaoran did some things that were distinctly out of character once Yukito left the group. Normally when inside the boy confined himself to the living room couch, his guest room, or the kitchen, and usually left no hint that he was ever present when he left those areas. That day, however, Syaoran seemed very scattered and did many things on a whim, leaving a huge mess behind; the cereal he managed to pour all over the table but seemed too distracted to clean up after himself. Instead of just opening the blinds on the windows, he drew them up fully, so that the sunlight blinded everyone when they entered the room. And, while he laid out food for everyone and accepted slices of Tomoyo's carrot cake, he ate none of it.

Hours later, when Yukito returned, the older boy cleaned up everything without complaint, but Yue was very annoyed. Later that night, Syaoran refused to go to bed, and when Kero suggested Yukito should stay with Syaoran, Yue adamantly declined and lost his temper with the boy, allowing Tomoyo to bear witness to the first fight between the guardians.

" Would it kill you, seriously?" Kero yelled at Yue, while Syaoran covered his ears and appeared to stubbornly count in Chinese. " This kid's been through hell already!"

" If he wishes to survive he has to be strong." Yue replied, equally furious, but his rage was much colder, and more quiet. " I will not cuddle him just because he had a scare."

" Had a scare?" Kero uttered a bunch of oaths. " Had a scare! You call that having a scare! I would think you would know better, having seen for yourself what the kid's been through last night. I didn't even see anything because I can't see ghosts!"

" I already opened my home to the child. What more do you want?"

" Have a heart, maybe?"

Yue frowned. " You know I am not known for sentimentality, Kerberus."

" This isn't about sentimentality." Kero abruptly transformed into his lion form and growled, looking like he wanted nothing more than to pounce on his fellow guardian. " This is about sense. This is about being selfless, you downright prick! You're just too full of yourself to humble down to take care of this kid, because you're too chicken to accept the fact that not everything's about you!"

Knowing the argument was hurting Syaoran as much as Yue's rejection did, Tomoyo tried to get the two of them to stop.

" Guys," She tried, but while she was as comfortable with Kero as her cousin, she too, was too much in awe of Yue to do anything. _Kami-sama, they are embarrassing him. They are embarrassing _me. And Syaoran was too distraught in general to be brave and go to bed on his own. It was too early for him to control his fear. Unfortunately, when Kero actually blew a fireball at Yue, even Tomoyo's awe was overcome. " Guys, cut it out! He's right here, you know!"

Yue had easily blocked the fireball with his shield, and had lifted his arms in preparation for an attack of his own. At Tomoyo's shout, both guardians froze, while the table the fireball was deflected to caught in flames. Syaoran had lowered his hands, staring at the fire in dismay, while Tomoyo squeaked and hurried to the kitchen to grab water. For the next few minutes the only activity consisted of Tomoyo putting out the fire, while the guardians glared at each other.

Syaoran grabbed his face, rocking himself back and forth, all pretense of normalcy gone as he struggled to find the courage to do something as simple as going to bed alone, to tell that frightful angel that he could face that night by himself. The smell of smoke and ash covered the room once Tomoyo was done, but not one remarked on it.

" You are going to fix that." Yue pointed at the table.

" Yeah? Maybe, once you confess to Sakura what a downright bastard you've been!" Kero turned around, still in his true form. It was the first time Syaoran had seen Kero in this form, but the boy was not in the state to appreciate the honor. " Come, kid. If that jerk over there isn't going to take care of you, I will. We'll see what ghosts try to sneak in tonight."

" You cannot see ghosts." Yue remarked.

" Well I bet I can scare them off anyhow." Kero shot back, despite the fact that the ghosts in question were hardly in the condition to be scared off. " Come on kid." He pulled at Syaoran's legs with his tail. " Come on, come back to us. We'll leave that jerk to brood on his shortcomings." With another tug, he managed to get Syaoran to stumble after him.

Tomoyo was left with a noticeably irate Yue. She had to admit, though she could understand Kero's passion, she herself could not imagine Yue agreeing to coddle anyone, even someone as deserving as Li. While something needed to be done about Syaoran's new night terror, Kero was basically proposing Yue should stay with Syaoran–all night, which was not exactly a reasonable expectation. It was an easy thing for Kero; he posed as Sakura's stuffed toy for about two years and occasionally napped in her backpack. Yue, on the other hand, had been living as an actual human being.

" I guess I'll call Sakura-chan," Tomoyo began awkwardly, though as she took out her cell phone she realized despite the rocky way there, they probably managed to find a temporary solution to Syaoran's problem. She felt awful for Syaoran; she knew the boy was feeling wretched and probably thought he was causing all this trouble.

Yue did not answer her, instead moving away and disappearing from the room. The girl sighed, wishing halfheartedly that Tomoeda had served as a better sanctuary for Syaoran.

" I could use Dream," Sakura sleepily remarked when she heard Kero was staying with Syaoran, " And...oh wait, that wouldn't work, would it. Akira's immune."

_That _probably served to be more troublesome than anything else, Tomoyo decided, although undoubtedly, it would be of valuable use later, if it has not already. " We'll see how it goes." Sakura muttered. " Maybe I can let Kero-chan stay over for now. Akira-chan needs him more than I do."

" Hai." Tomoyo agreed. " I better go home. It's kind of past my bedtime."

Neither Yue nor Yukito saw her out, but that was fine. At this point, they were enough of a family to forgive such discourtesies.

oO

Spending the night under the watch of the great Sun Guardian Kerberus was a new and interesting experience, though as Kero's grumbling about Yue died down, Syaoran made sure to tell the beast that Yukito had been very diligent in checking up on Syaoran, and while the boy had no idea Yue was conscious of every act and even influential in his false form's decisions and behavior, Syaoran did guess that Yukito would not be so kind if Yue were as ruthless as Kero complained. Kero gave him a nuzzle (still in his true form) and told him to shut up and go to sleep, though in such an amiable way that the child, miserable as he was, laughed for the first time a true, good-humored laugh in the twenty hours he had been awake, and did, in fact, sleep for the first time without being disturbed by nightmares, nestled in Kero's warmth.

Yukito, unfortunately, was too bothered by Yue's indignation to sleep very well. He kept trying to console his other half.

_I would not have minded. _Yukito told Yue. _But it would not be entirely wrong of me to mind, if I did, you know. It's not like that kid's my real brother, even if he really needs one. There are other ways we could have helped him. Kero's just used to being kawaii and huggable._

Yue was still deeply bothered, and his irritation spanned in all directions: toward Syaoran, for coming into their lives like this and not being strong enough to handle this on his own; toward Kero, who never seemed to understand Yue's broken-hearted grief after Clow Reed died, or his deep dependence on their former master; toward Clow Reed for making him the way he was, and finally settling toward himself, for some reason Yukito could not fathom.

The next day Sakura asked Syaoran if he wanted to go to a carnival.

" You don't have to go." She said, feeling that this was a delicate matter, since Syaoran may not be ready to go out and face people who did not understand what he was going through after all that has happened, but the choice was up to him, whether he wanted to distract himself. " But Chiharu-chan is a good friend of mine." Sakura told him. " A lot of my friends will be there. They're not magical though, and they don't know about magic, so don't bring up stuff about Kero and, you know."

" Will it be okay?" Syaoran asked hesitantly. " They did not invite me, so maybe it would be better if I don't barge in."

" I'll ask. I'm sure it will be fine." Sakura reassured him. " Just give me a minute to call Chiharu-chan."

Chiharu was delighted to meet this intriguing Suzuki Akira, especially since they were all interested in him ever since they noticed he kept going to Penguin Park. When he stopped going, they had assumed he left somehow, and were very pleased to learn he was still around, and that Kinomoto Sakura, the oddball of the group now, had made friends with him so she could introduce him to the rest. She made sure to tell Sakura that her brother and her friend Tsukishiro were also invited. Touya, finding nothing more boring than hanging out with his eleven-year-old sister had made sure to decline before Sakura could even suggest such a thing. Yukito, also finding the idea a little bit outrageous, already arranged to have a guy's day out and watch baseball with Touya at the Kinomotos with several other newly graduated peers. It was settled that Syaoran must join them then, and Yukito told the boy to have fun at the carnival.

Syaoran had gone to carnivals before, but never with friends, as he did not have any. He had never associated with anyone non-magical either, other than Tomoyo, who already knew a little about the magical world. Nervous that he would mess up, he was somewhat of a wreck the next morning, but this was something no one could actually help him with.

" Look, they're nice, and you're nice." Sakura assured him. " I'll make sure they don't act too ridiculous. Watch out for Yamazaki-kun, though. He tends to make up a lot of stories in great detail, so you'd get fooled into believing him. He's a really nice guy though. I'm sure you'll all get along. Heck, I like you, so I'm sure they will too."

Yanagisawa Naoko apparently instantly decided Suzuki Akira was fair game for a date (he was cute, polite, good-tempered, and intriguing) and Syaoran, being fairly unused to such situations, unknowingly promised her one for the fireworks festival the following Friday. Sakura was delighted with the idea at first. Tomoyo, a little more knowledgeable than her cousin, started plotting in her head ways to either get Syaoran out of it or convince Syaoran it was a good idea. Mihara Chiharu used Suzuki as a way to make Yamazaki Takashi jealous by constantly comparing him to the other boy, while Sasaki Rika, who was interested but a bit diverted by thoughts about the coming school year, mentioned to Sakura that she did find Akira attractive but sad.

Which was interesting, because Syaoran was trying his best to appear upbeat.

" Did you know that some areas in the United States have all four seasons?" Yamazaki was telling Syaoran to pointedly ignore Chiharu's attempts at getting his attention. " But their seasons are nothing like ours. For one thing, their winter comes before spring!"

Confused, Syaoran slowly replied, " You mean in Tomoeda your spring comes before winter?"

" Ex–no I said it wrong. I meant their winter comes after spring. It's Americans, you know. They have to do everything differently. Metric versus US system, you know, the works."

Still confused, Syaoran slowly said again, " Are you sure you read it correctly? You do realize that when you look one way, spring comes before winter, and when you look at it another way winter comes before spring. It's a cycle."

" Don't mind Yamazaki-kun." Chiharu told Syaoran. " He does this all the time. Although I must say, you're confusing me a lot more these days."

Yamazaki merely smiled.

Upbeat as Syaoran tried to be, he still could not bring himself to act enthusiastic enough about any of the rides, his mood constantly dampened by the weight of everything that had happened. Still, he was not depressing, which Sakura and Tomoyo had to give him credit for, and everyone took a liking to him, especially Yamazaki when Syaoran began teaching him various small tricks in martial arts that the other boy could use to impress girls.

" Boys and fighting." Chiharu shook her head. She was naturally the most outspoken of all the girls. " I will never understand them."

" He is so kawaii!" Naoko commented, watching as Syaoran demonstrated the move.

Sakura, holding Syaoran's ice cream (they were taking a break to get refreshment when Yamazaki asked Syaoran to show him moves) found herself feeling increasingly uncomfortable the more Naoko commented on Syaoran's good looks. Part of it was she was beginning to see, herself, the many good traits Syaoran was showing now that he was no longer continuously moping. For the most part lightened in his new facade, his expression was such that many of his handsome features were illuminated where his earlier depression had covered them. There was a mature, quiet, regal air about him and everything he did, a natural grace that was absent in most boys and in most men. Thus preoccupied, she nearly took a bite from the wrong ice cream cone, especially as both were chocolate.

" So what's it like in Tokyo?" Yamazaki asked. " I heard people there were all freaks."

Syaoran settled with a smile and no further answer. He did not come from Tokyo, so he had no idea.

" I never see you with your parents." Yamazaki continued. " What do they do?"

Syaoran took his time in answering. " My father still works in Tokyo." He said, making it up slowly as he went along. " He and my mom are divorced. My mom is ill. She came to Tomoeda because she heard it was very beautiful here."

" Oh." Feeling awkward, Yamazaki looked at him solemnly, " Is she going to be alright?"

Syaoran did not have to fake his grief, at any rate, and the story prevented anyone from asking any questions. No one was willing to breach such an awkward subject.

_Skill. _Sakura thought, hearing one of those whistles in her head. That was a simple, yet highly well-fabricated lie. Not to mention, it gave Syaoran a good reason not to invite any classmates over.

Syaoran's story had an unexpected result; Yamazaki stopped making up stories for the rest of the day, and Chiharu soon learned that Yamazaki's respect for Suzuki's composure made him unwilling to put their new friend at the end of any joke that was potentially hurtful.

" So different from Hiirigaziwa-kun." Chiharu remarked to Tomoyo. " I can see why Naoko likes him. In fact, I wonder why Sakura doesn't."

Tomoyo, feeling uncomfortable to begin with, downright blushed at the thought, and wondered, humorously, if Syaoran was doing this all on purpose.

oO

" He got himself into a date?" Yukito laughed, genuinely pleased. " With who?"

" Naoko-chan." Tomoyo answered, grinning while Syaoran blushed beet red.

" Naoko's a sweet girl, you'll like her." She said to Syaoran. " Although she's going to wear a yukata, so you better dress up."

Syaoran was not really in the mood for such light-hearted antics, especially since he was in no shape to know how to dress up and was unwilling to ask anyone for help after the fight Kero and Yue had last night. Fortunately, he received some help from Yamazaki in that area, as Chiharu and Yamazaki were also planning on going to the festival. Yamazaki, far more experienced than the previously solitary Li Zhineng, grew out of his old clothes and needed to buy new ones. His mother offered to help Syaoran as well, since his own mother was "ill".

" That's some quick thinking there, kid," Yukito approved, " Now we don't have to worry about questions."

Sakura seemed relatively unhappy about the whole affair, which was surprising because Tomoyo had expected her to be happy about Syaoran mingling with their friends so well. She did not voice it, though she wondered if perhaps Sakura would prefer Syaoran not to date Naoko. It was beyond their control, however, and Syaoran, though nervous, seemed interested in the planned outing, and over all the day seemed to improve Syaoran's spirits.


	10. Chapter 10

The Key

Chapter 10

There was not much to speak of on the date; Naoko and Syaoran had fun, and Syaoran had to go home early for both his own protection and his cover. Under Kero's care Syaoran's nightmares were reduced. Sakura and Naoko introduced Syaoran to new friends, and with this Syaoran learned what it meant to be liked and respected by others outside his family. He avoided Yukito whenever he could and always seemed to try to escape the house into the company of friends, something that puzzled and hurt the older boy.

Yue found Syaoran's ignorance of him whenever Yukito took over had its benefits, for when Yukito, being the forthcoming person he was, addressed this issue, Syaoran truthfully replied, " I don't think Yue likes me."

" Nani?" Yukito did not know how to react at first. " What gave you that idea? Was it that fight with Kero?"

" Iie." Syaoran shook his head. " I don't know. He's...intimidating."

Yue was not so thick that he did not anticipate such an opinion, but hearing the remark out loud made its impact.

Yukito, for his part, laugh uncomfortably, " Heh, you're not scared of him, are you?"

" Actually," Syaoran replied after a long hesitation, " I guess it's different for you, since you _are _him. I don't know. He frightens me."

" Really?" Yukito laughed disbelievingly. " How? What did he do to scare you?"

" He didn't _do _anything," Syaoran scowled. " You're not going to tell him, are you?"

" I won't tell him anything." Yukito laughed. _I won't have to. _He felt a little evil, doing this, actually.

" It's just his overall behavior." Syaoran said absently. He was actually on his way out to meet Yamazaki. The two were already close enough that they were on first-name basis. " I don't know. I don't think he likes me, and I'm...not surprised, actually. I think he's annoyed that I'm here and messing everything up like this."

Feeling troubled, Yukito hurriedly said, " But he's not annoyed about you, and you're not causing any trouble."

" You don't have to say that." Syaoran rubbed his head. " I don't have a choice, but I know that things got really rocky here, what with the 'ghost infestation' and all that." His voice wavered on the term. " Arigatou, but I know I've really caused a lot of trouble, coming here."

_Yeah, _Yukito thought to Yue, referring to Yue's loud exclamation the night he brought Syaoran to the Kinomotos. _That was not smooth, buddy._

Uncomfortable, Syaoran turned and headed out, and Yukito let him go.

Yue did not have a real reaction to Syaoran's admission, though Yukito sensed he was very disturbed by it. They did not breach the subject again, and Yukito did not question Syaoran's constant outings with friends. He was also starting to get a little preoccupied with preparing for college, so things were fine in that regard.

oO

Tomoeda Elementary had two newcomers the day it opened its doors for the semester; a new student, Suzuki Akira, who pretty much everyone knew already thanks to Sakura, Naoko, and Yamazaki, and Zhanna Lebedeva, a half-Asian half-Russian math teacher. It was the first time Syaoran went to a public school, and he was extremely nervous about it. Yukito had gone to Tokyo already and promised to call him every day, so at the very least Syaoran did not feel like Yukito would judge him as he is not around to judge.

He got Hiirigazwa's old seat, which was behind Sakura. Terada, the teacher, asked him to describe some things about Tokyo. Having seen Yukito peruse through the booklets from college, Syaoran played with luck, and seemed rather convincing. He did not mention his family and no one asked. Then, once he was shown his seat, Terada asked everyone else how their summer went. Some enthusiastic anecdotes followed, and they began some light introductions into the subjects being taught for that year.

The day passed pleasantly, and Syaoran realized he knew everything being taught that year, meaning first of all it would be easy, and second of all he would gain extra popularity by tutoring his friends. He would also have an easier time when taking entrance examinations for middle school, which were to follow that year, though such a thing was not foremost in his mind.

That night, many weeks after Syaoran saw his mother, he saw Fuutie. Kero was with him, but Syaoran was not scared this time. For one thing, Fuutie did not look as mauled. Her throat was slit, but she was whole, and looked less ghastly than his mother did.

" Hey, Syaoran," She greeted slowly, as it seemed speaking was a little difficult for her, " I heard you could see us."

Syaoran had noticed she did not appear different from a real person, although real people could not possibly talk with that wound. " Is _Niang _okay?" he asked.

" I don't know." Fuutie replied. " She can't speak. She did not say anything when I passed her, but I think she is on her way to the Halls of Healing."

Kero, having fidgeted all this time, finally calmed down, wrapping his tail around the boy to wait patiently for him to finish the conversation and go back to sleep.

" What happened?" Syaoran asked. " Why would they do that?"

" They were desperate." Fuutie replied. " I know the attack they used on our mother left many of them marred as well. It is not important." She reached out and touched Syaoran's forehead. Her touch was cold, but Syaoran bore it because though it felt like death, it was not unpleasant. " Just seeing for myself." She smiled. " You did very well. You'll be okay here, they'll take good care of you. I'm going to go to the Halls of Healing; your other sisters will come by as well. Later on when we are healed we will check on you again. Okay?"

Syaoran nodded.

" Be brave." She bent down and kissed him on the cheek; her throat opened as she did, but Syaoran, though uncomfortable, did not flinch back. " Stay safe, okay?" And she was gone.

Syaoran felt much more comforted by that visit than anything else. He could do this, he decided. His ability to see ghosts meant his family was not completely lost to him. The people in Tomoeda actually liked him; there were no magically powerful cousins to avoid, he actually went on a date with a girl for the first time in his life, and went out with friends more times in the past month than he ever went with his family his entire life. Yue and Yukito were not around, meaning he mostly had the house to himself, although using Yukito's money was a bit of a thorn in the side. Syaoran endeavored to spend as little as possible. Kero, Tomoyo, and the Kinomotos were always around if he needed help, and there were no attacks that he knew of ever since Tomoeda. The only point of anxiety was that Hiirigaziwa Eriol had been strangely silent and unresponsive, but Sakura felt that was because he wanted to minimize their contact as much as possible.

He could be happy here, Syaoran realized. He wished, half-heartedly, that his family were not of the Li clan. Before this he never knew a world that did not condone magic. Having been exposed to it now, he found he preferred it over the family that betrayed him. Would that he had friends like Yamazaki and Naoko all his life! But at least he had them now. Deeply soothed, he fell asleep and for the first time dreamed happy dreams in years.

oO

Lebedeva did not pay much attention to any of the students on the first day of classes. She found herself fortunate that instead of merely being a substitute teacher, she was hired as a math teacher, allowing her more time to study the students, but after the first day she was not sure it was so wise. She wondered if perhaps the Card Mistress chose to be discreet and hid the boy away completely. The second day, she had the crow guardian watch outside the window, deciding if the Key really did not come here, she could endeavor to gain the trust of the Card Mistress herself.

It was not until after the second day that Lebedeva confirmed Suzuki Akira to be the Key. She was puzzled, because Suzuki did not appear to be unfamiliar with the rest of the students. In fact, everyone seemed to be very good friends with him. From accounts, Li Zhineng had no friends in Hong Kong, suggesting he was not very likeable. Could the crow be wrong?

" Suzuki-kun!" Yanagisawa's voice woke her from her thoughts on the third day. The children were dispersing for recess, and there was a crowd gathered around Kinomoto and Suzuki.

" Rika-chan has a movie night planned tonight. You coming?"

" How late is it?" Suzuki asked.

" It's starting at five and going to go until nine."

" Oh." Suzuki frowned. " That's late..."

" Oh, you have to take care of your oka-san?"

" Hai." The boy nodded after a hesitation. " Gomen ne."

" Iie, that's okay." Naoko looked at Kinomoto and Daidouji. " Are you two coming?"

" I'll have to ask my otou-san." Kinomoto replied. " Ever since my oni-chan left for college I got all the chores."

" I can help you finish them." Daidouji offered. " Then we can head over."

" Cool. Call me if you can make it. Gomen nasai, Suzuki-kun." Yanagisawa looked at Suzuki apologetically.

" It's alright."

Kinomoto and Daidouji left the group and made their way out of the room.

" Say, Akira-san," Yamazaki asked, as Suzuki gathered his lunch, " You trying out for the football team?"

Suzuki blinked. " Oh. I never played soccer before."

" What have you played?"

" Well, I kind of suck at everything." Suzuki said quietly.

" What are you talking about?" Yamazaki laughed disbelievingly. " You're good at martial arts. That means you can kick, hai? That's all football is. Or you can go for tennis, but tennis is more solo than anything."

" I guess. I can just go and have people laugh at me."

" You'll be fine! I'm pretty sure."

Suzuki smiled shyly. " Okay. When is it?"

" It's next Tuesday, after classes. It's probably going to go for a while, because you know how tryouts are."

Suzuki looked confused, but did not comment. Lebedeva decided it was not so unexpected for Li to make friends here. He was extremely intelligent, she heard, but it was possible that he had been shunned for lack of magic. Here, it was not an issue, and Li was humbled enough that despite his intelligence he would still be patient and easy enough to work with. There were certain things he did that showed his unfamiliarity with socializing, though they could also be attributed as quirks. He kept biting his lip nervously, and did not seem to understand many of the common practices such as soccer tryouts. The children did not notice. They merely saw a shy, yet amiable boy.

Suzuki then said to Yamazaki, " You just want me to try out so you can look good."

" Nani? Me? Of course not!" Yamazaki laughed, although Lebedeva could clearly see Suzuki had been uncommonly forward, both for his own character, and for the social traditions of the Japanese. " I am bad. Believe me."

" He's just saying that." Mihara poked the boy. She always seemed to wear pigtails, Lebedeva had not seen her wear anything else. " He's the captain."

Suzuki's eyes sparked. " Does that mean I get a free pass?"

" Hey," Yamazaki punched Suzuki, " What's up with you, eh? You'll be fine. I have no say in who gets on the team, the coach does. But what are you all nervous about?"

" I never played football in my life. It was just martial arts."

" Sounds like a boring–well, you missed out on a lot. But no worries!" Yamazaki quickly changed his tone. " We'll teach you here. If you want, we can go practice a little this weekend, if your mom lets you go?"

" Sure. I'll ask." Suzuki smiled.

_His mother? _Confused, Lebedeva looked out the window. The guardian was not there. It was time she headed for lunch. She would have to talk to the crow a little more, later.

oO

" You," Sakura held the squawking bird by the neck, " Seem to be a little thick in the head or something, because I believe I told your master to leave us alone."

" Are you sure that's the bird?" Tomoyo asked, as the crow did nothing but squawk. " There are many ravens in Tomoeda, you know."

" I know." Sakura looked at the bird. " Tomoyo-chan, can you hold it for me?"

" Are you kidding?" Tomoyo blinked in shock. " I'll get bitten! Or scratched!"

" I'm alright," Sakura held out the crow and took out the book. " I need to trap it. Shield!"

She did not summon her staff for it, merely holding the card between her fingers. The shield circled around the bird as Sakura let go, and the bird flapped wildly in it, trying to escape.

" I know you are stalking us." Sakura said angrily. " I think I'll keep you around, until your master gets here. Unless you can talk, like Kero-chan? Can you talk?"

" Hai! I can talk, I can talk!" The crow gasped, for Sakura had squeezed its throat quite harshly. " Look, I'm not here to hurt anyone, seriously!"

" Oh really?" Sakura glared, " What are you here for, then? What's so interesting here?"

" The Key." The crow said bitterly. " Don't you know?"

" Of course I know. The Key is off limits. So what is so interesting?" Sakura repeated, more loudly this time.

" Sakura-chan, you might want to move a little more behind the tree?" Tomoyo suggested. " Otherwise people would notice."

Sakura obliged. " Now, you are going to tell me everything."

" There's nothing! I swear!"

" I can keep you indefinitely." Sakura blinked. " Or I could cook you. I never tasted raven."

Tomoyo turned around, a little disturbed by this statement.

" You wouldn't!" The crow cawed, flapping its wings desperately.

Sakura considered. " You're right." She conceded. " That's kind of gross. I bet you don't taste very good, scavenging dead things and all. But I can still keep you indefinitely. I bet Kero-chan would have a few ideas."

The bird gulped, or made a sound somewhat like it. Sakura glared at it when it did nothing else. It seemed resigned to its fate.

" Not going to say anything?" Sakura frowned. " Fine. I'll keep my promise." Taking out the Sleep Card, she scattered a good dose of dust onto the bird. Then she stuffed it unceremoniously into her backpack.

_She's not as nice as she used to be._ Tomoyo lamented a little to herself. But as she followed Sakura out, she thought about how Sakura was somewhat upset about Syaoran's date with Naoko, even though she did not blame Naoko, and figured maybe Sakura was simply being overprotective. After all, who else was going to defend Li?


	11. Chapter 11

The Key

Chapter 11

Weekend rolled by. Yamazaki and some other friends headed over to Syaoran's apartment to pick him up for Penguin Park. Syaoran had to hurry out to meet them outside before they decided to try to find the apartment themselves. He made a note to ask Sakura to link the doorbell to the buzzer somehow.

The actual team needed the standard soccer equipment, but since Syaoran was just getting introduced, everyone decided to forgo the stuff designed to keep their bones from breaking; they were uncomfortable, and they would get bruises anyway, so the band of boys headed over to the park armed with two soccer balls and for some reason a baseball bat.

Syaoran was not so far removed from society that he did not know the basics. He knew, for example, that he could not use his hands or arms or shoulders, but he could use his head and his torso. Being able to cartwheel with his head allowed him to bump the ball into the goal a lot more easily without really feeling any pain, but kicking the ball proved, after about two misses, to be a little more tricky for him. Still, he learned very quickly, even if he kept breaking rules, which then served to remind the boys that such rules existed and they should explain it to him.

With homework due on Monday, the plan was for the boys to head over to the library afterwards to do it together. Syaoran, having learned most of the stuff already and was only fairly behind on Japanese history, was to tutor all of them in math, English, and Japanese, while Yamazaki offered to catch Syaoran up on history. Syaoran found it very funny that he was tutoring Japanese kids their own language. He was impressed by how easily he was able to speak and understand Japanese. It turned out all that solitary studying paid off.

Several hours later the hot, sweaty boys entered the library. It was horribly crowded and was soon apparent that it was probably better if they all studied outside. A little disheartened, since they all wanted the air-conditioning, the boys selected a wide oak tree where several feet away a couple sat making out. After some grimaces of distaste, they took out their assignments.

The teachers wanted the students to wake up from their summer languor by giving them eye-opening first assignments.

" Shucks." The boys muttered. " Glad we started this early."

" It's not that bad." Syaoran read the math problems briefly. He looked at the science questions, which also did not look too bad, although he was unfamiliar with some of the terms. " An essay in history?"

" Only five hundred words, it's okay." Yamazaki looked at the assignment.

" Five hundred words." Syaoran could not hide his displeasure. " Joy."

" You'll be fine." Yamazaki assured him. " It's just discussing the Taika Reform and the Taiho Code."

Syaoran did not mention that he had no idea what those were.

" First chapter." One of the boys read from his assignment sheet. " Well guys, we all saw this coming. Tale of Freaking Genji."

" Four hundred people." Even Syaoran bulked at that one.

" I hope we don't have to keep track of them? Do you guys even know four hundred real people?"

" Well it's abridged. Maybe they cut some of the minor characters out."

" One hundred real people?"

" That's actually more reasonable." Syaoran told Yamazaki. " Come on. This book's like Shakespeare. I don't think even the teachers understand what it's talking about."

Everyone laughed at that one.

Even abridged, however, everyone discovered that the chapter was not an easy read, and even if every page was paired with a page with lists of explanations and 'translations', it was going to be a long assignment. " Thank Kami we don't have to write an essay. Yet." Even Syaoran agreed.

They decided to do math first, since Syaoran had declared it was rather simple. Unfortunately, Syaoran sped ahead of them so much that they were resigned to let him finish first before helping them. Fifteen minutes later, Syaoran already finished his assignment and began describing how to do the third problem out of fifteen.

" You have to do a little bit of manipulating. You multiply the second equation by three and then divide by two to get three halves y. Then you subtract from the first equation."

" Crud! Who thinks of that?"

" Apparently Suzuki-san here." The boys chuckled.

" Well, I encountered problems like this before." Syaoran explained.

" Does Tokyo actually teach this stuff?"

" Well," Syaoran said uncomfortably, " I don't know about all of Tokyo. I did some studying on my own too, since I like math."

" We got ourselves a powerful ally here." Yamazaki grinned. " I'm getting your phone number after this that way I can call you."

" Sure." Syaoran saw no harm in that.

" I'm getting your phone number too!"

" Maybe we can go over to your house?"

" His mom's sick." Yamazaki waved it off. " Don't go bothering here."

Syaoran sent Yamazaki a grateful look. Yamazaki merely smiled.

" Alright, I got the next question and the one after that. What about..."

oO

" You talking?" Sakura demanded. The crow merely warbled unhappily. Its feathers were completely covered in vegetable oil and feet trapped to the table with Woody. " You know, you won't get that off in a hurry."

" She'll find you." The crow cawed.

" Oh I'm sure she will." Sakura folded her arms. " I'm not exactly hiding from her, you see."

" She'll find that boy too. She'll unlock the realm and take the crystals."

" Now you're just being lame." Kero leaned toward the miserable crow. " Of course, we can spare her the trouble of looking for us if you tell us where she is."

Getting frustrated, Sakura turned on the stove. The crow cried out in alarm, but was barely able to move, as the oil made its feathers stick painfully.

" You realize all that stuff's going to make it hotter." Sakura told it. " Then instead of fried crow I'd burn you to a crisp."

" You won't eat me!"

" I won't. I can't promise anything about Kero though. He can stomach a lot of interesting stuff." Sakura made the flames flare to make her point. " Tell me what's going on and I'll wash the oil off of you and give you your magic back." She held up the Erase Card. " I can undo spells, you know."

" And I'm hungry." Kero bared his teeth. " Sakura, why don't you erase his feathers, for good measure? Feathers aren't that tasty."

" Alright! Alright!" Really freaked now, the crow desperately yelled, " I'll talk! I'll talk! Just get that lion away from me!"

" You'll tell us everything?" Sakura asked, cocking an eyebrow.

" I'll talk! Just get him away from me!"

" Kero-chan, move back." Sakura sighed. She then whipped out the Bubble Card, and through muffled protests it scrubbed the crow clean. " There. I even got the oil off of you. See, I can be generous. Now _talk."_

Throwing them a dirty look, the crow warbled, " What do you want to know?"

" Well, for starters, what do you know about the Key?"

" That he's here."

" What else?"

" He's that new kid, Suzuki Akira." The crow snapped its beak. " Mistress Aileen didn't believe it. What did you do, introduce him to the neighborhood or something?"

" We're asking the questions." The sun guardian stalked around, his feral eyes glaring at the bird guardian. " Do you know how to use the Key?"

The crow squawked. " Hai, everyone knows. _The soul flies when the heart is reached. _The Key to using the Key."

" Nani?" Sakura frowned. " What does that mean?"

" Means you pierce the heart." Kero said without hesitation. " I guess Eriol forgot to mention that."

" Your Lady Aileen," Sakura suddenly asked. " Why did she not believe Suzuki Akira?"

" She saw the students were all very comfortable with him." The crow croaked. " Can I go now?"

" Not so fast. What is she using, a mirror? How did she see the students?" Kero asked, alarmed.

" She can see things you cannot imagine." the crow snarled as much as a raven could.

" Oh really?" Kero bared his teeth again. " I don't suppose she's seeing _this, _is she?"

" Kero-chan," Having heard enough, and believing she knew what was going on, Sakura pulled Kero back. " What does your mistress want to do with the Key? Does she want to use him to unlock the crystals?"

" Of course." The crow snapped. " If she doesn't, someone else will! You're all fools for letting him live."

" Maybe so. But he is under my protection now. I will release you one more time." Sakura glared at the bird. " If I catch you again, I _will _make you wish you were dead. That vegetable oil? You haven't seen anything yet." With one move she gave it back its magic and released Woody.

Sulking, the crow fluttered off.

Sakura turned to Kero. " I'm scared of your interrogation techniques."

" I'm scared of yours!" Kero shot back.

" I'll have to say I'm scared of both of you right now." Fujitaka, who was watching this, announced. " You two certainly seemed to match each other's moves very well."

" The vegetable oil was his idea." Sakura told her father.

" The eating was hers."

" Just don't make a habit of it, okay?" Fujitaka looked at his daughter strangely. " In fact, if this is something I should expect very often, I would prefer if you don't play with magic that much, sweetheart."

" Otou-san!" Sakura cried in dismay.

Seeing his little girl again and not some stranger with magical powers, Fujitaka smiled and kissed her. " Though it is good that you are helping that Li."

" Akira." Sakura insisted. " I don't want to accidentally call him Li."

" Akira." Fujitaka smiled. " I feel bad that we can't help him more. Maybe he should live with us, instead of all by himself at Tsukishiro's."

" I take care of him!" Kero cried indignantly.

" He has to maintain his alibi." Sakura ignored her guardian.

oO

" This is not a book for sixth graders."

" Iie, it isn't."

They had decided to leave Japanese for last. When they finally got up to it, everyone was too tired to absorb the strange grammar.

" I'm going home." Yamazaki announced. " We still have tomorrow."

" Hai." Another boy agreed. " Sounds like a good idea.

Syaoran began packing up. He headed towards his apartment, as expected, even though it was farther away from the library than Yukito's house. Tomorrow he had to go shopping. He is running out of food. Food is so ridiculously expensive here in Japan, but then, he realized the economy in general was not that good. Yukito's riches were a far cry from the wealth of the Li Clan, but Syaoran could handle it. He never wanted much anyway.

" I'll see you all on Monday!" One of the boys called as they left. " Ja!"

" Ja!" They all called back, and Syaoran basked in the glow of being included in a group.

That night Yukito called. He had called for only a few seconds the previous night, promising a longer chat over the weekend.

" You never played football? I thought the Chinese were huge fans of it."

" I didn't have anyone to play it with." Syaoran replied, shrugging. " Most of the stuff I did were solitary stuff."

" Well, they're treating you well. That's good."

" Hai." Syaoran grinned. " How's college, so far?"

" Classes haven't started yet; it's just orientation, which begins Monday, so the freshman could get used to living in college." Yukito replied. " I'm really glad I roomed with Touya. Some of the people here have weird habits. We have the only double in the building."

" What are the others?"

" Triples at best. Most are like, five-person rooms."

" Oh." Syaoran scowled. " Well at least you got a better deal."

" Haha, try keeping that room for next year." Yukito chuckled. " So everything's going okay?"

" Hai." Syaoran smiled as Kero flew in through the window. Soon it would be too cold to keep the windows open.

" Alright. Call me if you need anything."

" Hai." Syaoran assured him.

" What's for dinner?" Kero hovered around Syaoran. One of the reasons he did not object to staying with Syaoran all the time was because Syaoran was in fact a better cook than Sakura.

" Gomen ne." Syaoran smiled at Kero. " I haven't started yet. We're kind of running out; I plan on going shopping tomorrow."

" Really? Can I come?"

" Sure. You can pick out what you want. Discreetly, of course." Syaoran eyed Kero and poked the guardian on the nose. Kero wrinkled his nose.

" Hey!"

Laughing, Syaoran headed to the kitchen to begin.

oO

The crow headed back to Aileen despondently.

" You look ruffled." Aileen was puzzled. " What happened to you? Why did you not meet with me after school? Where were you all this time?"

" That Card Mistress is on my tail!" The crow squawked and cawed. " She and that furry guardian threatened to eat me!"

" Indeed?" Aileen blinked, then started chuckling a little. " Well I see that you are not missing any limbs. You escaped, then?"

" They let me go." The crow cawed.

Aileen frowned at this. " Why?"

The crow fidgeted, moving from one foot to the other.

" What did you do?" Aileen shot up in her chair angrily.

" I did not tell them much." The crow replied morosely. " I told them what they already knew. They think you're watching them through a mirror."

" So you did not tell them about Zhanna Lebedeva."

" No. But I am not spying again! She catches me every time!"

" She recognizes your aura." Aileen replied. " No, having you spy would not be wise. You have done well, I must say."

The crow cawed and preened itself under this compliment.

" She is more powerful than I thought." Aileen blinked. " Or more crafty. Very deserving, for a new Master of Cards. We shall have to tread carefully."

" Cah! What should we do now?"

" We do as before." Aileen frowned. " She did not seem to sense my aura, even if she sensed yours. Perhaps we can work with that. She is bad at math," She contemplated this, " Perhaps if I offered some tutoring sessions."

" But the boy is good at math."

" I can use that to my advantage as well." Aileen replied. " Non-magicians hold competitions and have teams. We can set up a math team in the elementary school. Li Zhineng can be a member."

" Cah! Would they approve?"

Aileen paused. " Why not? We can even hold our own competition, with a reward. Math is part of the standardized exams, after all."


	12. Chapter 12

The Key

Chapter 12

Tokyo was a lot noisier than Tomoeda, so the first night neither Yukito nor Touya slept that well. Considering sleep was not something they expected much of to begin with, this was not really a big issue, but nevertheless Touya was a bit grouchy on the second day.

Yukito, despite himself, felt very anxious about Syaoran, which annoyed Yue to no end. On the second night, Yue headed out and stood on the roof of the dorms, gazing, he felt, in the direction of Tomoeda. He was leaving his master behind; that was the only reason he felt anxious himself. He hoped that while Yukito was in college, Sakura would not have to face anything with just Kero. Or at least, if she does, Kero would be enough. The Sun Guardian was no weakling, but there was a reason Clow created two guardians and not just one.

At around three in the morning, Touya joined him.

" You know, it is very inconsiderate of you to choose a place like this." Touya complained. " It's easy for you to fly up here but it's not that easy for other people to join you."

" I came here for the solitude." Yue replied.

Of everyone who knew Yue, there were only two who could speak to Yue comfortably, or even yell at him. Kero was one. Touya, to Yue's chagrin, was the other.

" You know it's hard enough to sleep with the cars honking all the time and the ridiculous number of fire trucks." Touya sat down next to where Yue was standing. " But it gets even harder when I see you pining after that kid."

" I am not pining after anyone." Yue responded flatly.

" Iie? Then what are you doing?"

" Tokyo is far from Tomoeda. I worry for your sister."

" My sister is fine." Touya stared at Yue. " In fact, I'm pretty sure she would be the one protecting _me, _one day. Did you know what I was talking with my father about earlier?" His expression morphed into that of disbelief. " The kaijuu has apparently adopted her latent instincts. She and Kero tortured this talking bird for about four hours this afternoon."

Yue looked at Touya, finding what he said hard to believe. " Tortured," He repeated.

Touya explained what his father told him, ending with, " What did you guys _do _to the kaijuu?"

" I did nothing." Yue instantly said. " And in the world of magic, that is not torture."

" I'm sure." Touya replied gravely. " I'm sure the kaijuu is now capable of many things."

Yue did not answer.

" You're totally not worried about the kaijuu."

" Why do you say that?" The guardian asked, a little annoyed.

" Well, for one thing, except for that brief inquiry into piercing Li's heart, you didn't talk to my sister at all. You called Li."

" That was Yukito."

" Oh, like you couldn't have talked Yukito into chatting with my sister?"

A little alarmed at this revelation, Yue objected, " Li was more worrisome. He is at my house. And you were the one talking with your sister."

" Hai, hai," Touya patted Yue on the leg (he was sitting too low to reach any higher) " I was hogging my sister and wouldn't let you talk to her anyway. For long, but the point is you obviously didn't think about it."

Yue could not deny that. " I do not care for the boy more than I care for Sakura."

" You realize that I never accused you of it?" Touya scowled. " Look," He took a drink from his mug, " There's nothing wrong with caring for that kid. He's a sweet kid. Very resilient, very thoughtful of others. I feel sorry for him and all, but I can't help admiring how strong he is. I don't know what I'd do if my father died, or were hacked to pieces."

" You would be just as strong." Yue replied confidently. " And so would Sakura."

" Probably. I certainly would have friends, like you and Yukito." Touya agreed, " Whereas the kid does not have any friends to help him. But let's not talk about that, because I don't really want to consider how things would be if this happened or that. That's for when things do happen. The point is, what's there not to like about this kid?"

" I merely am not fond of him, as you all seem to be. He came into our lives, not his own fault, but I have no responsibility towards him." Yue then stared. " You brought _tea _with you to the roof?"

" Why? You want some?"

" I was just wondering why you would bother boiling tea and then bringing it to the roof with you."

" I anticipated a long chat with you." Touya pointed. He held up a large canister, showing the mug was not the only thing he brought with him.

Yue merely blinked. He felt it must be the Kinomoto gene, or maybe what they got from Nadeshiko, that made both Sakura and Touya at once so smart and so bizarre.

" Now what are we talking about," Touya paused. " Oh right. Responsibility. Well, do you only do things because you're incumbent or do you let your heart guide you for once?"

" I do not let my emotions control me."

" That much is obvious. But let's see, you're saying you only care about Sakura because she's your master and you only care about me because I'm her brother. That it?"

Feeling to answer would be dangerous, Yue kept silent.

" Listen," Touya said perceptively, " The kid is a descendant of Clow Reed too, you know. It's not just us that are linked. Not to mention, I know Clow Reed's death hurt you a lot–"

" I do not want to talk about it."

" Then your issues will never be resolved." Touya snapped. " Would you let me finish?"

Yue scowled.

" Now I won't pretend to understand what you're going through." Touya continued. " Living forever, watching people die; I bet when you were fading you were secretly welcoming it. You certainly didn't ask for help until I pretty much pushed you into it."

Again, Yue did not feel safe to answer. He could not look at Touya.

" Now I can't pretend to know Clow Reed either." Touya blinked. " Heaven forbid, I think I even met the guy himself, through Hiirigaziwa, and my _dad's _the reincarnation of Clow Reed, which is creepy, but I don't know how much alike they are and I can't tell you what Clow Reed's thought processes were, but I think it's a safe bet to assume he was a good man and a wise man. You and Kero are created perfectly for each other."

Yue sputtered, and Touya began laughing, " I mean, you two argue like an old married couple."

" Kero starts most of them." Yue replied childishly.

" Whatever." Touya chuckled. " The point is, he knew what he was doing when he created you and Kero. You both have such profound personalities."

Yue stared at Touya, thinking, _Kero, profound?_

" Now Kero's just as immortal as you are." Touya took another sip and began pouring more tea out of the canister. " He's alright, I think. He certainly doesn't seem to have any mental issues you seem to have. So I feel, Clow Reed wouldn't have given you the ability to feel without a good reason."

" To better serve the Card Master."

" Bogus." Touya replied. " As if loyalty cannot just be programmed."

" Sometimes just protecting is not enough. We need to understand."

" Which is fair." Touya tugged on Yue's robe. " Get down here!" He complained, patting the space next to him, as Yue was still standing. " I have to shout to reach you!"

After a long hesitation, Yue complied. There was a warm companionship feel to their positions now, so that Yue felt numb and uncomfortable. Touya continued drinking his tea, taking his time.

" Are you going to say anything now that I am here?" Yue demanded impatiently.

" Just putting thoughts into words, my friend." Touya swallowed another mouthful. " In any case, if all you're good for is protecting Sakura, how come you can feel emotions about other people?"

" What do you mean?"

" I mean, you can have that thing kids have towards their moms." Touya looked at Yue. " I know if my dad suddenly decided to marry another woman, you can bet he and I would never speak again. Loyalty towards your real mom. Loyalty towards your master. It's possible for Clow to make it so you don't feel any affection for anyone other than your master. That would certainly make things less complicated for you, wouldn't it?"

Yue was silent.

" But he didn't. That tells you something, doesn't it?"

" I feel like he made a mistake." Yue confessed quietly. " I am not strong enough. Kero is. But I am not."

Touya stared at him, then shoved the mug into Yue's hands. " I never see you drink. Drink. Now. In fact, let me get some beer."

" You have beer?" Yue blinked as Touya got up. " When did you get beer?"

" What did you think were in those bags that I got from downtown?"

" Soda!" Yue cried in dismay. " Chips! I did not know you went there for beer!"

" They were giving it out to us for free. I couldn't resist. Be right back."

But in the end, when Touya returned, neither of them opened the cans. settling with the tea Touya had boiled for himself. Touya gave the rest of his tea to Yue, who drank, probably for the first time in his life. The heat circled lazily in his core after he swallowed. He felt comforted by the warmth.

" Yue," Touya said at last, " I have a confession to make."

" You are not gay, are you?"

" Haha, wiseguy." Touya scowled. " That was so Yukito it's not even funny. Though it does lead me to one point. You and Yukito aren't that different."

" What do you wish to confess?" Yue interrupted.

" Well, the kaijuu and I had a chat about you, along with Kero, a long time ago. Before the kid came in and we realized the Li clan to be the load of bullocks that they were."

" Should I hear this?" Yue asked, feeling a little nervous.

" Well, we didn't just talk about you. Feel free to drop any dirt on Kero, since the only things we learned about him were through Sakura and through Kero's own accounts. In any case, he was saying how you were the youngest of all of Clow Reed's guardians. You also apparently took the longest."

" Why, because I was so difficult?" Yue responded flatly.

" Iie," Touya said slowly, " Wow, you're really down tonight aren't you? I was going to say, because Clow Reed was actually the most careful with you."

Yue did not answer.

" According to Kero, you were Clow Reed's dreams come to life. The perfect being. A tenshi. He wanted to make sure you were the most beautiful being on earth, the most beautiful thing he created."

Yue was drawn to the past, the distant hands leading his, guiding him, the gentle voice comforting him when he was nervous or scared, all that patience and attention devoted to him instead of the other guardians, the genuine delight and joy whenever he succeeded.

" He loved me. I knew that." Yue replied.

" Well. Kind of a bummer if all that was a mistake, eh?"

Yue released a soft sigh.

" Look, let me put it like this, buddy." Touya wrapped his arm around Yue's shoulders and stared off into the lights of Tokyo. " To put it plainly, we all have the same problem you have. When Oka-san died," Touya paused, " Well, it was hard on all of us. Otou-san, especially. But even back when he couldn't see ghosts, he's still willing to put pictures of her all around the house. They're reminders that she's no longer there, but then she is, you know. We all have different fates, different destinies, we're all going to die sooner or later, and those who die sooner leave those who die later to mourn. It's the natural order of things. Is mourning painful? Of course it is. I remember I couldn't go to school for a whole week. I was the kaijuu's age, you know. And it was peachy getting myself together again. Was even harder for Otou-san. Even now we still miss her, you know that. But doesn't stop us from loving who she was. Or who she is. Ghosts don't exactly visit indefinitely, you know. Eventually, she'll get reincarnated. We don't know when. But the point is we still love her, and the pain of missing her did not change that."

" You do not understand." Yue said wearily. " You know that at some point it will end. You will stop missing people. You will grow old, and as others grow old, you grow old with them. Growing old together, suffering the same things, and then it ends. For me," He looked off into the distance, " I keep thinking this is all I have. Cycle after cycle of watching people die, never stopping, doomed to never change even as the world changes around me. And I can't stand the thought of it, that this is it. This is my fate. And the pain only increases with time."

" You know what they say? We don't live for ourselves. We live for others. This long lifetime was given to you for a reason, and knowing my father, it's not just so a bunch of cards would be kept under control." Touya patted Yue's shoulder. " With reincarnation in mind, it never ends for us either. The only difference is we constantly forget all the joys and woes of our past lives, whereas you get to remember every lifetime. Think about what you want to remember in each lifetime, Yue. You can have a bunch of meaningless lifetimes, or you can have very rich ones without regret. It will hurt either way, trust me. On one hand, if you allow yourself to give, allow yourself to take what others give you, it hurts when they leave; true. But on the other hand, one day you're going to realize there were so many things you could have done that you didn't, simply because you were too scared. Take it from me; you won't be free from pain, since that's not really the point. Think about how you want to look back on yourself. Don't tell me you regret loving Clow."

Before Yue could answer, Touya left, leaving the cans of beer with Yue. The moon guardian looked in the direction Touya departed.

How did he want to look back? Did he in fact regret loving Clow? Of course not. But what about this child? The Key? Did he want to allow this child into his heart?

Yue was not sure.

oO

" Suzuki-san, Yamazaki-san, Yanagisawa-san, Tanaka-san," Lebedeva read on, " Please stay after class. I would like to talk to you about something."

Sakura and Tomoyo looked at Syaoran.

" Go ahead without me." He told them, as he followed the group to the teacher.

" The department is thinking about creating a math team for Tomoeda elementary." She said. " There is a competition coming up for elementary schools in Inuyama. It is in November. If we start now, I was thinking we can join. There's prize money involved. Are any of you interested?"

Suzuki looked at Yamazaki, who said, " I'm totally in."

" Hai, me too." Suzuki answered.

" I'm in." Yanagisawa instantly exclaimed. " This would be fun!"

" Suzuki-san can tutor us also." Someone said, as the rest expressed their willingness to join. Lebedeva looked at Suzuki, feeling that, indeed, there was something about that child that she could expect from someone like Li.

" Alright." Lebedeva announced, pleased. " Is it alright if we start tomorrow afternoon?"

Yamazaki glanced at Suzuki. " Er, there's soccer tryouts tomorrow."

" Alright. What days would be good for you?"

" Wednesdays."

" Thursdays and Fridays."

" Thursdays too, actually."

" Alright. How about we meet after school on Thursday? Sound good?"

" Hai!" The kids chorused.

Lebedeva smiled. These children were endearing, she decided. " Alright. Arigatou. You may go now."

The kids left, chattering excitedly about this new program. Lebedeva stopped Suzuki on his way out.

" Suzuki-san," She said to him, " I wish to tell you something first."

" Huh?" Suzuki gave her his full attention.

" You have a lot of talent." Lebedeva could say this truthfully. " I hope you realize this means you will have to help the rest of your team."

" Hai." Suzuki smiled at the praise. " I'll do my best, Lebedeva-sensei."

" Un." Lebedeva nodded. " Go have fun. Enjoy recess."

" Hai!" Suzuki left, feeling very happy that his teacher apparently liked him.

As the classroom emptied, a shadow fell over the teacher's desk. Lebedeva looked up in alarm.

" Tell me, what is the great Lady Aileen doing here in little Tomoeda?"

Lebedeva stepped back horror collecting in her stomach.


	13. Chapter 13

The Key

Chapter 13

" You know I have a tendency to avoid crowds." Lebedeva replied. " What are you here for, Volkov?"

" Seeing how things are. What else?" The man replied pleasantly. There was a sliminess to his aura, oily about his tone, that made Lebedeva swallow at his reply. " I was wondering what could attract young Lady Aileen from her sanctuary in Asha."

" My business is none of your concern."

" Is it not?" Volkov leaned toward her. He was tall, with pale blonde hair and wolf-like gray eyes, dressed in a pale-gray suit. He reminded Lebedeva very much of a Nazi. " You know what the latest craze is, my Lady."

" You know I have a tendency to avoid crowds." Lebedeva repeated her earlier statement. " I care not what the rest of you are crazy about."

" Perhaps. Why should I take your word?" The man whispered darkly into her ear.

" Mr. Volkov," Lebedeva responded sharply, " You have no right to accuse me of _anything. _If there is indeed something you are after, I suggest you leave now to search for it, for I do not have it."

" Just like your sister." Volkov leaned back. " He is here, isn't he, my Lady? The Key?"

" That I cannot say." Lebedeva replied. " You will have to figure it out for yourself." She considered warning him against the Card Mistress, but decided the better of it. She did not want him to be prepared. " I am sure a powerful sorcerer such as yourself is capable of such a simple task."

Volkov studied her. " I will be watching you." He said. " Consider this a courtesy."

In a swirl of dark-blue mist, he disappeared.

Mentally cursing, Lebedeva snatched up her stuff and stormed out of the classroom, earlier good spirits dampened considerably. " Of course he'd be in on this too." She hissed to herself. " That ambitious, conniving son of a whore. Were that my sister were here to wipe that greasy smile off his face." And the Orb Mistress had, on many occasions.

His appearance was troubling. This meant Lebedeva would have to watch what she was doing. She cannot be seen to show too much interest in Suzuki, even in private. Volkov was good at eavesdropping and spying. With him around, there was no privacy to be found.

Still cursing at her ill luck, she went into the staff's lounge. She found herself praying that Volkov would be as easily caught by Sakura as the crow guardian. She had a feeling the little Card Mistress would teach him a lesson he would never forget.

Luckily, Volkov had no idea which student was the Key. In Tomoeda, practically everyone was non-magical, and Li could mingle in without a problem. The only thing that would really make Suzuki stand out was the fact that he was the only new student, but from the way things were going, everyone was already regarding him as one of their own so it would take pure bad luck for Volkov to discover Suzuki was at all different from any other student. Sakura stood out like a Roman Candle, because she had a distinct magical aura, but that was precisely _not _what Volkov would be looking for, if he knew what he was doing.

And unfortunately, Lebedeva thought morosely, Volkov knew what he was doing.

oO

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, but Lebedeva had an unexpected visitor waiting in her apartment. As she entered, the visitor announced his presence by sliding his sword to her throat.

" Where is he?"

" You!" Lebedeva uttered in shock, then scowled. It seems like people were finally focusing on Tomoeda now. " You've seen the boy, unlike me!"

" You know where he is." The man said in Chinese. " Tell me or I'll slit your throat."

" How am I supposed to know you won't slit it anyway?"

" You don't."

With a quick spell, however, Lebedeva was able to knock the sword away. She ducked, springing to the side, and summoned her staff.

" Look," She started, silently lamenting that it seemed everyone was on to her now, " I do not have him, I do not know where he is, I am in fact just as clueless as you."

" Somehow I doubt that." He swung his sword, and Lebedeva barely managed to block the bolt of light headed her way. Realizing his attacks were too strong, Lebedeva made a note to dodge next time.

" Forrest," She gasped out, realizing with great anxiety that she was already breathless from the block, " You know me. I'm not ambitious at all."

" Really." Forrest lowered his sword a little. " Then you won't stop me?"

" Well," Lebedeva used a few minutes to catch her breath, " If all you want to do is keep him from getting captured. I've been hearing stories, however, about you trying to _kill _him."

Forrest did not falter, his green eyes growing more green with conviction. " I promised him a quick death. It would be better than what others would try."

" What, a stab to the heart?" Lebedeva dodged to the side.

" No." Forrest charged after her. " Has not worked before, so it will be much worse!"

oO

Syaoran stopped when he saw a boy waiting at the door. The boy looked at him for a moment, then seemed to pay more attention to the streets. There was a wide cut on his head, though it was not bleeding.

" Hey," Syaoran called despite himself. " Are you okay?"

" Hai." The boy nodded, puzzled, then fingered the cut. " Oh. Hai."

" What are you waiting for?" Syaoran asked. " I never saw you around."

" I'm waiting for some friends." The boy looked at him. " You live here?"

" Hai." Syaoran nodded, looking around.

" I'm trying to get inside." The boy said. " Passing by Tomoeda to visit a friend here."

" Oh." Syaoran blinked, figuring it was not a good idea to open the door. Still, he had to pretend. " I will let you in then. It's going to rain." The sky had been cloudy for a long time already.

" Arigatou." The boy shifted back and forth from one foot to another.

" Huh. Looks like I forgot my key too. That sucks." Syaoran paused. " Let me see if Oka-san's awake."

Of course, he was the only one living at the Tsukishiro's, and as expected, Kero was not there. Hanging up, Syaoran turned to the boy awkwardly. " Gomen ne. Who are you waiting for?"

" My cousin." The boy replied. There was something strange about him, Syaoran realized. He seemed very suspicious, his eyes very intent on Syaoran. The boy wondered if this stranger was looking for the Key as well? He would have to be careful.

" You don't have her phone number?"

" Forgot my cell phone."

" Well you can use mine. Do you remember her number?"

" Iie." The boy frowned. " Gomen; she's not someone I constantly call."

" I see." Syaoran nodded. " Well, I'm sorry I can't let you in. I'm heading over to a friend's until my Oka-san wakes up. You want to come with?"

" Iie, it's okay, I'll wait here." The boy pointed at the overhead. " Shelters from the rain well enough. I'll be okay."

" Alright." Syaoran waved. " Good luck!"

" Arigatou!"

As Syaoran left, the boy considered him, narrowing his eyes, before disappearing.

Syaoran chose to head over to the Kinomoto's.

" There's this kid waiting for someone to let him in the apartment. I'll just crash here for an hour before going back." Syaoran told Sakura.

" Oh." Sakura allowed him inside. " I'll ask Kero to check beforehand."

" Arigatou." Syaoran smiled.

" Gomen ne, this place is a bit of a mess, since I'm vacuuming and I just kind of shifted everything everywhere." Sakura apologized.

" Oh!" Syaoran realized. " Oh, er, gomen, is there anything I can do to help?"

" You can sit there and relax and eat some cookies." Sakura gestured to the couch. " Wow, is it going to rain or what? It's been so gloomy for hours already."

Syaoran, taking a seat, replied, " You could just make it rain, you know."

" Iie, I'd get in trouble with Kero. And my otou-san." Sakura chuckled. " We'll let it rain by itself."

Syaoran looked around and realized that Sakura was basically in the house by herself. " Where's your otou-san?"

" Trip to the America's. Will be back next weekend."

" Oh." Syaoran blinked. " Where's Kero?"

" Napping."

Syaoran realized that if Sakura did not have the cards, she would actually be by herself here. Tomoeda was a safe place. They would never dream of doing such a thing in Hong Kong. He looked at the photo of Nadeshiko hanging on the wall. Before seeing her ghost, Syaoran never saw those photos because usually he stayed with Yukito. He wondered where she went.

" You have a lot of photos of your mother." He noticed. " She's in all these elegant poses. Was she an actress?"

" She was a model." Sakura replied.

" She's really pretty."

Sakura smiled. Somehow, Syaoran managed to make his ghost-whispering abilities much less creepy than Touya did. " You would know. Have you spoken to her lately?"

" Iie, actually. I only saw her once, that time when she said Yukito invited her to stay. I didn't even know she was dead."

Sakura shrugged. " Does it feel strange to see her?"

" What do you mean?"

" I mean, every time Oni-chan talks about her it's really really freaky. You make her sound so normal, like she's still alive or something."

Syaoran frowned, since that was not an articulate way of putting it, but he knew what she meant. " I can't tell the difference between her and you, if that's what you mean." He admitted. " And she doesn't look like she was ill or hurt." Which made him wonder why his mother and sisters looked the way they did.

" I sometimes feel her." Sakura told Syaoran. She sat down at the couch, feeling the need to talk about this all of the sudden. " I used to think it was just my imagination. After Eriol-kun left I started to think she was around after all. I wonder why she never stayed that long. According to Oni-chan, she was around very often when we were younger." She glanced at the picture on the kitchen table. " She was twenty-seven when she died. I don't know her very well. I wish I did."

Syaoran patted her hand. " Gomen ne." He smiled sadly. " I didn't mean to bring this up. I was just wondering because those pictures aren't exactly the take-it-on-a-vacation-trip quality."

Sakura laughed. " Iie, it's okay. I shouldn't be…well, anyway, I know she's around. That's okay."

Syaoran wondered, briefly, why up to this point he had never seen his father, if he had always been able to see ghosts. Or was this ability a new one? As Sakura felt for her mother, Syaoran would like to have known his father a little better. He wondered what his father would think of him.

Suddenly, Syaoran's phone rang. Syaoran blanched when he realized it was Naoko.

" Konbonwa, Yanagisawa-chan!" Syaoran greeted in a mixture of enthusiasm and dismay, while Sakura fumed unnoticed behind his turned back. " Hey, how's it going?"

" Call me Naoko!" Naoko protested. " Naoko is much easier. Is it okay if I call you Akira-kun?"

" Uh, sure…Naoko-chan," Syaoran glanced at Sakura in confusion when she suddenly stood and headed upstairs. " Anyway, what's up?"

Naoko giggled. " 'Away from Gardens' is premiering this Friday! I was thinking we could go after school. Do you want to come?"

" Uh…sure," Syaoran agreed, " Who else is coming?"

" Oh…" Naoko hesitated, " No one else. I was thinking we can go…just the two of us. But if you want to invite other people, you can!"

Syaoran, forgetting Sakura went upstairs, glanced in the direction of where she sat earlier. " Oh, uh, sure, well, I don't mind going by ourselves." _Not good!_

" Great! We should be home by seven, so it should give you plenty of time to cook for your mom."

" Hai." Syaoran laughed uncomfortably. " Great, thanks, Naoko-chan, you're very thoughtful."

" Alright! I'm so excited! We're both on the math team! This is going to be awesome!"

" Hehe."

They said their goodbyes, and Syaoran hung up, still chuckling uncomfortably and wondering why he always got himself into a date with Naoko without trying. She was a nice girl, but Syaoran felt very uncomfortable about dating her. For one thing, he was barely used to having friends, and was certain he would screw up somehow and she would hate him. " Sakura-chan?" He called upstairs (since Sakura wanted to call him by first name, he took the liberty of calling her by her first name as well), " Are you alright?"

" I'm fine." Sakura left her room. " So what did Naoko-chan want?" She asked, her tone a little serious.

" Er, she wanted to see a movie this Friday," And thinking that he really should invite Sakura if he was going to ask her this, he continued, " You could come. It's called Away from Gardens, or something. I have never heard of it."

" Oh. It's a romance movie." Sakura recognized, wrinkling her nose. " I'll pass."

" You sure?" Syaoran blinked, stunned by her sudden coldness. " Ano…alright…then."

" Kero-chan, when Akira-chan leaves can you fly ahead and check to make sure no one's standing outside his apartment?" Sakura called into the room.

" Sure." Kero hovered out, yawning. " When's he leaving?"

" Now." Syaoran said quickly, feeling he had somehow overstayed his welcome, and could not fathom what he did to offend Sakura so. " Arigatou, Kero-chan, Sakura-san."

" No problem." Sakura sounded more subdued. She glanced at the living room as she came downstairs. " You didn't eat any cookies." She noted.

Feeling edgy around her, Syaoran laughed nervously and grabbed one. It was starting to pour outside. " I'll eat on the way, arigatou."

" Hey!" Sakura called out when he opened the front door, " It's raining! Do you have an umbrella?"

" Hai," Syaoran quickly lied, feeling it was too awkward to borrow one from her when she was suddenly so upset. Was it the talk about her late mother? He was not sure, and made a note never to talk about Nadeshiko again. " I'll be okay. I'll see you tomorrow!" Kero had already gone out.

" Ja!" Sakura frowned when she saw he made no move to take out any umbrella before he closed the door. Locking it after him, she sniffed and muttered to herself, " Argh, get over yourself, Sakura."

oO

The next morning Syaoran woke up to a serious case of running nose. It was supposed to be sunny all day today, which gives ample time for the ground to dry up from last night's shower. When he realized he was going through two tissues every three minutes, Syaoran took five packs of portable tissues Yukito left over before heading to school.

Five packs quickly ran out before the day was over, to Syaoran's dismay, as he drew the attention of everyone in the class at first every time he was forced to blow his nose. He realized he should have taken medicine before he left, but it was not something even Syaoran would have thought about when living on his own for the first time. Naoko and Yamazaki took him to the nurse during recess. The nurse gave him some more tissues and a lollipop.

" Go figure." Syaoran muttered, blowing his nose for the umpteenth time that day. His nose was feeling horribly irritated.

" You think you can sniffle it up for the tryout?" Yamazaki asked.

" I'll try." Syaoran replied. " But I'm not blowing my nose for the fun of it."

Sakura, furious at Syaoran because she knew why he caught that cold, gave him a piece of her mind towards the end of lunch.

" You don't trust me!"

" It wasn't raining that hard!" Syaoran protested, surprised by this attack. " Of course I trust you!"

" Really? You think I'm so cheap that I wouldn't let you borrow an umbrella?"

" Iie!" Syaoran blinked in shock. " It never crossed my mind! It wasn't raining that hard, not at the time, anyway!"

" Still, you should have borrowed one." Naoko said gently. " Your mother's going to be so worried about you. Yamazaki-kun, you can't seriously expect Akira-kun to try out today?"

" He'll be fine." Yamazaki slapped Syaoran on the back. " Hai?"

" Hai." Syaoran nodded. " I'll be okay. It's just a runny nose."

The coach, sympathetic to Syaoran's ill luck, allowed the boy to take it relatively easy. Though the constant need for tissues was very inconvenient, it did not hide Syaoran's steadily growing skill. In high spirits for yet something else he succeeded in while in Tomoeda, Syaoran headed home grinning nearly the whole way. It was good to receive praise from someone besides his mother.

Unfortunately, the stress of the tryout made itself known once he got home. Syaoran took some medicine, and went to bed without showering or waiting for Kero. By the time Yukito called, Syaoran was too deeply asleep to hear.


	14. Chapter 14

The Key

Chapter 14

Yukito hung up.

" Still not answering?" Touya asked from his desk.

Yukito sighed. " Wish I could go over there."

" You could, you know."

Yukito did not point out that Yue would probably object to that show of concern. " Can you ask Kero to check on him?"

" Kero's already put out that he forgot to open the window."

" What if it's for a good reason?" Yukito ran his fingers through his hair. " Maybe someone got him."

Understanding, Touya took out his cell phone. " Well, got nothing else to do." He dialed. " Hey kaijuu, it's me. Kero still there? He's not answering Yukito's calls. You sound put out. He's sick?"

A long pause followed. Sakura's voice sounded a little louder, more hysterical, though Yukito could not tell what she was saying.

" Easy there kaijuu. Why don't you head over and check? Hai. Call me when you find out anything. And be careful! Take Kero with you." Touya hung up. " I guess it's not much of a loss I gave my magic to you. Even if I did sense Sakura in danger, not like I can do much about it now, other than worry."

" And I cannot help Sakura either." Yukito frowned. " She's very resourceful though."

" Haha. A natural interrogator." Touya returned sourly. " Want some beer?"

" _Iie._" Yukito glared. " I can't believe you got those without telling me."

" You know you want some." Touya smirked. " Too bad I didn't get your true form to drink some. I wonder if he's like you when you're drunk."

" Yue doesn't drink!"

" He drank tea the other night."

" He did?" Yukito blinked, as he headed over to the fridge to get a can. " This is good beer," He looked at the logo, before opening the can and heading over to his bed.

" This is great." Touya was looking up the curriculum for his major. " The hardest classes I have to take are statistics and calc in 3D. Ew." He frowned. " Calc in 3D?"

" Try General Physics for Engineering." Yukito stuck his tongue out at his friend. " But I will admit, I prefer homework than all those clubs you have to attend."

" Hey, clubs mean booze."

" You actually have to do stuff at those clubs though." Yukito cocked an eyebrow. " And mind you, you can get booze anywhere, not necessarily at programs. And you have to learn Chinese."

" Like you don't know Chinese already." Touya sniffed. " You certainly spoke fluently enough to the kid."

" That was Yue." Yukito frowned. " Why hasn't she called yet?"

" She kind of has to…well, get there, first?" Touya raised an eyebrow. " Anyway," He turned back to his laptop. " Ugh. Why do I have to take macroeconomics?"

" That's easy." Yukito waved his hand. " I heard from the upper classmen."

" Well, an easy A. They're all easy. Except calculus. Oh cool, I can take the business version, instead of the math geek version. That's encouraging."

" Calc in 3D?" Yukito hopped up from his bed. " I think I'm taking that."

" Yuki-san, you really should keep track of your classes."

" They signed us up for classes. I didn't have much choice. Physics, electrical engineering, calc in 3D. Yup. To-ya, take it with me."

" Hell no."

" Oh come on!" Yukito whined. " It's either take it with me or take it on your own."

" I'm taking the business version!"

Scowling, Yukito took a huge gulp of his beer. " Cheater."

Touya laughed. " It's okay. I'll give you a good eulogy, I promise."

Yukito glared at him.

" When is your sister going to call?"

" Yukito!"

oO

Lebedeva put up a good fight, but her lack of brute strength cost her dearly. Forrest pulled her by the collar and pushed her against the wall.

" You will help me." He said to her. " Help me find the boy."

Gasping, Lebedeva managed, " I don't see why not."

Forrest studied her, before slowly letting her go.

Taking a moment to recover, Lebedeva asked, " Why kill him, heh?" She rubbed her side, where she was still bleeding. " Why kill the child? You are a guardian."

Forrest glared at her. " It is not your concern. Tell me where the boy is."

" I do not know."

He raised his sword. " You are no match for me." He hissed.

" I am not sure, alright?" Lebedeva glared back.

" Who do you suspect, then?" Forrest snarled, shaking his sword once to emphasize his impatience.

" Suzuki Akira." Lebedeva replied. " Hails from Tokyo, supposedly. You'll find him in the math team after school tomorrow."

Forrest withdrew his sword. " Do not try anything." He disappeared.

" As if I would." Lebedeva rubbed her side, wincing.

oO

It was relatively late at night, but the streetlights illuminated enough that Sakura saw the man in front of Yukito's house before she was anywhere near. Kero rode in her backpack, but Sakura knew the man had noticed her, even if he did not know she noticed him.

She could not stop at Yukito's house to check on Syaoran now, and with the man's attention on her, could not send her guardian to warn Syaoran. Time Card was too risky. What was she going to do?

She walked determinedly past the man, using the opportunity to take in his features. He was a white man, pale with blonde hair. He was wearing a trench coat. He seemed very powerful. As she crossed him, she could sense his aura, heavily repressed with shielding spells. This man was a powerful sorcerer.

_Crud. _Sakura thought. _Why is he just standing there?_ But if he was standing there, at least that meant he did not have Syaoran. Assuming Syaoran was still inside.

Tomoyo's house was further down. Sakura turned at the end of the block and summoned the Shield Card quickly to mask her aura. She then peered from the bushes.

" Kero-chan, what are we going to do?" She lamented.

" Keep the Shield Card around me." Kero whispered back. " I'm going to warn him. Call Yue."

" Nani?" Sakura stared. " Why?"

" Just in case." The guardian said wisely. " Do it."

Sakura frowned then complied, as she maintained focus on Kero's shield.

" Moshi moshi. You found him?" Touya asked, bored.

" Get Yue on the phone." Sakura whispered.

There was a slight hesitation, then Yukito's nervous voice answered. " What is it?"

" Someone's at your house." Sakura peeked through the bushes again. The man was gone. " Kero's gone over to warn Akira-chan. I don't see him anymore, but he's a sorcerer."

Yukito was silent for a moment. " Darn. Did you get Li out?"

" He's going over there now," Sakura clarified. " I have no idea what's going on. I'm going to sneak over to your house."

" Be careful!"

" I'm leaving the connection on." Sakura said to Yukito. " But give me a minute."

Summoning Shadow, as it was reasonably difficult to sense, Sakura told it to report to her what was going on in the house.

Yukito paced in the dorm. This time Touya was just as nervous as he was.

" Akira-chan is still inside."

" Be careful." Yukito repeated. " There are barriers on the house, you might have more time. Don't go barging in."

Inside the house, someone else was waking Syaoran.

" Child, wake up." Nadeshiko whispered, shaking the boy's shoulder. " I know you are sick, but you better get up." The child slept on, and getting more urgent, she shook his shoulder harder. " Hurry!"

" Mmm." Syaoran groaned, but did not wake up.

" Child," Nadeshiko looked up, noticing Kero at the window. " Xiaolang, hurry!"

" Open the window!" Kero was hissing. " Good grief!"

Nadeshiko's powers were not so great that she could open a window from this plane. The sorcerer was actually dismantling the wards now; any minute and he would be inside the house.

" Xiaolang!"

Kero had darted back to Sakura. " He's breaking in." He told her. " Li's oblivious. He's there, but he's not waking up! I tried banging on the window. Any louder and I think the man will hear."

" What do we do?" Sakura grabbed her head. " Oh this is all my fault! I should have seen this coming!"

" No time!" Kero hissed. " Hurry!"

" I'm trying!" Sakura stared at Kero. " Go create some distraction!"

" What distraction?"

" You fly, right? Go rustle the branches or something!"

" Grr…" Kero sped off, with Sakura's shield still around him.

Sakura ran behind the block, hoping to sneak into the back yard through someone else's driveway. Before she could do so, she felt a twinge of magic and stopped.

Syaoran had finally woken up, and, though feeling horribly sick, managed to understand Nadeshiko's warnings.

" Is he inside?"

" He's about to be."

Strangely, Syaoran hurried downstairs.

" Li-san?" Nadeshiko called, worried. " You have to go through the back door."

The man had stopped dismantling the wards, staring up at the trees. He was stepping away from the door, moving to the area in front of the windows.

" Li!" Nadeshiko cried, when the boy suddenly opened the front door. Then he vanished. The Loop Card glowed a little and dimmed, invisible again.

" Huh." Nadeshiko was taken aback. " That was very smart."

Sakura, sensing the Loop Card activating, sent the Shadow Card to get Kero. This time, the intruder sensed the Shadow Card. Believing it was targeting him, he attacked it. The Shadow Card sailed to Sakura.

Seeing her location was revealed, Kero wasted no time transforming and attacking. Sakura grabbed her phone.

" Kero-chan's under attack!"

Touya cursed, as he heard that report.

" Where is the kid?" Yukito asked.

" He escaped. Used the Loop Card." Sakura began running in the direction of the apartment. " Not sure what's going on. I'm going to boost Kero randomly, hopefully that will confuse him. Uh, rain, thunder, Thunder!" She released the card, causing lightning to strike in front of Yukito's house. It materialized into its true form. Sakura prayed it would help Kero even though she had no idea what it was doing. The card soon came back to her though; it was not able to promote the fight without her guidance. " Dang it!"

She stopped, thinking quickly. If Kero was defeated, she could very well lead this man to Syaoran. That cannot happen. She probably stood a better chance if she faced him head on. She turned back. " I'm going to help Kero. Stay on!" She tucked the phone into her bag. " Fly!" She summoned, and headed straight toward the house.

Sakura's shield was still around Kero, as it did not need much guidance to surround him, and was serving to protect him from more than detection. The stranger was surrounded by a bluish aura, interspersed with waves of purple and white. He was attacking at Kero's shields, which were starting to give.

" Sakura!" Kero called, as he saw her arrive. " I can't hold it much longer!" Even with his own force field the shield was starting to give.

Sakura took out the Ghot Card. " Who are you?" She demanded, as she hovered over him.

" Name's Volkov." The man sneered. " I see your pet lion has been snooping around lately."

Once he uttered his name, the Ghot Card activated, and a stream of golden light shot toward the man. He dodged, but it was fortunate that the Ghot Card grew increasingly more powerful and fast at every attempt.

With the Ghot Card distracting him, Kero was able to contribute his own attacks. Though nowhere as fast, the man was too flustered by dodging the Ghot Card to defend himself properly. The flames hit home, followed by the Ghot Card itself. Blood splattered the pavement. Realizing he was outmatched, Volkov quickly disappeared.

Sakura tried to stop him, but he was gone before she could move.

" Kero-chan!" She hurried to the guardian, who transformed into his false form. " Are you alright?"

" I'm fine." Kero panted, for he had exerted himself to maintain the shield. " What about the kid?"

" He's at the apartment, I think." Sakura looked up at the sky. " Should I risk flying?"

" I'll fly over. You walk. Better safe than sorry. You'll know if something's wrong." Kero zipped through the air and Sakura lost sight of him.

oO

Syaoran's head was pounding in pain. Nadeshiko stayed beside him, rubbing his back. It was a new experience for her, being able to touch someone who was alive. She silently thought about her own children. As she sensed Kero approach, she slowly faded away.

" Kid!" Kero called out, swooping down in front of Syaoran. " Hey, what ever happened to our deal? I was supposed to stay with you!"

" Gomen ne," Syaoran rubbed his head, " Forgot." He coughed a wet cough. He was cold, and felt very dizzy.

Kero settled on his shoulder and sent magical warmth through him. " Sakura-chan is coming." He told the boy. " Hang in there."

Sakura arrived about ten minutes later. " I never realized how far away you were." She panted. " Are you alright?"

Syaoran nodded, still coughing, and he realized there were disadvantages to not having tissues when one needed them.

" Ugh, gross!" Sakura complained at his slimy hands, and avoided touching them. " I'm taking you to my house, okay? You think you can make it there?"

" Hai." Syaoran nodded. " Arigatou," He coughed again.

Steering him by the shoulders, Sakura began guiding Syaoran home. She reached into her bag to talk to Yukito. In the scuffle she had accidentally hung up on him. There were two missed calls.

" Is everything alright?" Yukito was too worried to be angry.

" Hai, he made it out. The guy escaped." Sakura sighed. " I'm taking Akira-chan home. We need to work on those barriers around your house this weekend."

" This weekend? What about before this weekend?"

" Akira-chan is sick. I'm not going to leave him by himself. Kero-chan is going to take care of him at my place. Right, Kero-chan?"

" Oi, er, of course." Kero poked at Syaoran, who was swaying. " Hey, don't faint on us, kid, okay?"

" Yue's really worried. Should we head over now?"

Sakura could almost hear it in her head. _I did not say 'really'. _Or _I was not _worried. She had more than Yue's pride to consider. " Tell him he probably should get over here. It does not seem like we'd be having a quiet night."

oO

Actually, it turned out to be a quiet night. Yue arrived, and both Kero and Sakura agreed it was probably best not to point out the amount of time between hanging up the call and his arrival meant Yue had been speeding through the skies in an atypical mother-hen fashion. Syaoran, half delirious with high fever, mistook Yue for Yukito at first and, with an expression of relief, cried out, " Yukito-san!" and hugged him. Unnerved, Yue had roughly pushed the boy off.

" What are you doing?" He exclaimed, horrified.

" Oh." Embarrassed after he realized his blunder, Syaoran hung his head. " Gomen nasai."

" Easy there," Kero warned. " Kid's sick, in case you haven't noticed.

" Have some honey milk, Akira-chan." Sakura handed him a cup. " It always makes me feel better. Then you can get some rest. Take these." She handed Syaoran some pills. " It would help with the fever and symptoms."

" Arigatou." Still feeling awkward after that show of affection, Syaoran avoided Yue's gaze while wondering what the guardian was doing here.

The honey milk was soothing, and as Syaoran blinked he was unable to open his eyes, or hear anything, for that matter. Realizing he had fallen asleep, Sakura looked at Syaoran in dismay; he was still on the couch.

" Yue," Kero broke in before Sakura could say anything, " Carry the boy up, will ya?"

" Why should I do it?" Yue demanded.

" Well you can't ask Sakura to do it." Kero glanced over at the mortified Sakura. " And I can't carry him without waking him up. Well, we can do a lot of magic tricks, but it would be easier if you would just do it."

With a glare in Kero's direction, Yue slowly maneuvered the child into his arms. The boy was so small and light, Yue realized; still thin and bony from stress and depression. Now sick, his pallor was very unhealthy. He looked miserable.

Kero understood his fellow guardian more than Yue gave him credit for. Once Yue placed Syaoran on the bed in Touya's room, Kero dragged Sakura away from the room (she had followed him) and turned out the lights.

" You keep an eye on the kid." Kero called out through a mouthful of Sakura's collar.

" Nani?" Yue scowled. " You are kidding yourself."

Kero did not answer, merely telekinetically shutting the door.

The guardian wavered a long time in the dark room, but his indecision was forgotten as he looked at the boy. They had nearly lost him today. Sakura beat the man, but it was still a close call, in its own way. And now, with the door shut, there was no way for anyone to know whether he left or stayed.

_But it is not about that. _He thought. It is about whether staying meant he really loved this child. This child, who should be nothing to him.

_You stay to keep him safe. _He told himself. _Because Sakura would be sad if anything happens to him. _Despite what he told Touya, he was still surprised by Sakura's tactics with the crow. _You stay for her sake. Hai, you stay for Sakura's sake. Just because you came here does not mean you actually care about this boy. He is just another unfortunate soul. There are so many unfortunate souls._

Still, he looked at the child and could still recall the feel of the boy's arms around his waist, that gesture of genuine joy upon seeing him. It was for Yukito though. The boy had even uttered the name. To Yue, he felt afraid. _He scares me._

Why should he feel anything for the boy? Syaoran liked Yukito, not him. Yue sat down studying the child, watching and listening to him breathe. He did not even react when Nadeshiko appeared next to Syaoran's bed, and place her glowing hand on his forehead to lower the fever.

" For another mother." Nadeshiko murmured. She did not look at Yue, disappearing directly.

Yue did not react when she left, keeping steady watch over the child, though nothing happened for the rest of that night.


	15. Chapter 15

The Key

Chapter 15

Suzuki Akira was absent from school the next day. During recess, Lebedeva wasted no time calling Forrest.

" He's not here?" Forrest glared at her. " You're not playing games with me, are you, Aileen."

" Would I play games with someone like you?" Lebedeva snapped. " He is sick, or so the Card Mistress says. No doubt, she'll visit him. You can learn more if you follow her. I certainly will not stop you, but I will not help you either. She has already threatened me."

" She threatened you."

" Hai."

" We will see if she lives up to her reputation." Forrest glared at Lebedeva. " Do not even think about double-crossing me. You think you sister's death was dishonorable. I will make yours both a disgrace and the worst torture you can dream of."

" _Being _with you is already torture enough." Lebedeva shot back. " If you want your precious Key, you better watch yourself. This is her domain; she made that clear already."

Forrest disappeared.

How fortunate, Lebedeva decided, that everyone thought Li Zhineng would end up heading to England. No doubt Clow Reed had his hands full.

Sakura, however, sensed someone entering and leaving Tomoeda Elementary.

" Not again," She lamented, having not slept well the previous night, and gotten up early to prepare some breakfast for herself and for Syaoran, " I wish they could just give up. Maybe I should consider that global brainwash."

" You'll go into a coma!" Tomoyo protested.

" Except for that bit." Sakura inclined her head. " Who is it this time? Is it that Volkov?"

But a search through the school yielded nothing, and by the time recess was over Sakura had come up empty-handed. Which was expected, as Forrest left already.

" I'm really considering skipping school and going home to check on him." Sakura said unhappily.

" You can't do that indefinitely. Besides, Kero-chan is looking after him." Tomoyo pointed out.

" I hope that's enough. Kero-chan was not able to hold Volkov on his own. Although I left a few cards behind that Kero could use if he needs to." She sighed. " You know, Tomoyo-chan, this is really barbaric, 

how they're going after him. These kinds of evil people only exist in fairy-tales. Although I guess I am in a fairy-tale now, being Card Mistress and all."

Tomoyo really could not come up with a good answer for that one.

" Why is Naoko-chan doing that?" Sakura lamented, when she saw Naoko decorating a page in her notebook with hearts and Akira's name.

" Jealous?" The bell had not rung yet, so Tomoyo leaned over.

" Why would I be jealous?" Sakura fumed. " It's obvious he's got no clue what was going on. Every time!"

" It sounded like he didn't have any friends before." Tomoyo said. " You're not angry at him, are you?"

" Of course not!"

" Are you angry at Naoko-chan?" Tomoyo asked worriedly.

" Iie!"

Tomoyo studied her. " Then what's the problem?"

Sakura groaned. " I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me."

" He's very considerate, despite suffering so much himself." Tomoyo pointed out. " Wouldn't be surprised if you did like him. I like him too."

Sakura glared at Tomoyo. " He's nothing like Eriol-kun."

" You don't like Eriol-kun, do you?" Tomoyo blanched. " You know, even back when he was around pretending to be all normal, I still found the idea of the two of you to be creepy, no offense. Now it's even creepier."

" I don't like Eriol-kun!"

Unfortunately, the conversation stopped here, for Tereda had entered the classroom and they were forced to quiet down, but Sakura thought over and over again that she was going crazy and wished she would snap back to herself. This continued after school.

" I was just so angry! He's calling her Naoko-chan now!"

" You're jealous."

" I'm not jealous!"

Tomoyo smiled knowingly and decided not to press.

" I'm just annoyed that she's always pulling him out. He's in danger all the time, and I can't explain that to her."

_Right, keep telling yourself that._ Tomoyo thought, but courtesy prevented her from saying it out loud.

Sakura furrowed her brow, and went home frowning the entire way, with Tomoyo attempting half-heartedly to cheer her up from time to time. At last they arrived at the house. Sakura did not call upstairs to Kero, though the guardian came down of his own accord.

" Sleeping." Kero moaned. " He's so boring now. Make him better, Sakura-chan!"

" I'm trying!" Sakura laughed, putting down her bookbag. " Did he eat lunch?"

" Hai." Kero spun in circles around Sakura and Tomoyo as the two girls headed into the kitchen. Usually Syaoran was very neat, but there was a bowl with a spoon still left on the table, with a little bit spilled.

Sakura could forgive him. In fact, she was much more pleased that he ate at all. She took the bowl and spoon and brought it to the sink while Tomoyo cleaned the table.

" We're spending a long time on the first chapter," Tomoyo remarked when the girls settled down to do a little homework before Sakura cooked dinner.

" I'm glad for that." Sakura wrinkled her nose. " Whose bright idea was it to let us read this book for this year?"

" Don't know."

" At least we don't have to read the second chapter until the weekend." Sakura muttered, taking the novel for Japanese out and setting it to the side as she fished out her math textbook. " Akira-chan would be so disappointed," She thought out loud. " He was looking forward to the math team."

" Did you tell Lebedeva-sensei?"

" I called the school." Sakura replied.

Tomoyo blinked. " This morning?"

" Hai." Sakura glanced upstairs. " Under normal circumstances I would avoid using so much magic, but I feel like for his sake I really ought to do my best. So I used the voice card to impersonate Kaho-san and pretended I was his mother."

" Speaking of Kaho, any word from Eriol-kun?"

" Iie." Sakura shook her head. " I decided he would call me first, probably, if he feels it is safe to do so. People are already starting to attack Akira-chan–that's why he's over here, instead of at Yukito's."

Tomoyo frowned. " Alright. Is Akira-san any better?" She asked in concern. (She had taken to calling him by his 'given' name ever since Sakura did)

" He was walking earlier, his temperature is a bit high but he seems to be better now, last I checked." Kero sat on the table. " He has bad nightmares though, I think."

" And I can't do anything about that, because he's immune to Dream's effects." Sakura muttered dryly. " I keep thinking all this magic is going to come back and bite me one day. Kero, promise me that I'm not abusing my powers."

" Sakura," the guardian replied dryly, " I think you should practice as much as you can. From the looks of it, you'll need to abuse your powers a little. Everyone else seems to."

Silence fell as the girls began their homework in earnest. About an hour later, Syaoran sauntered down.

" Konbonwa," He greeted the girls, who looked up. Sakura brightened when she saw Syaoran.

" How are you feeling?" She asked, heading over to him and feeling his forehead. " You still feel hot."

" Much better." Syaoran insisted. " Arigatou, Sakura-san. Tomoyo-san," He greeted.

" You should stay home tomorrow too," Sakura insisted, " I'll take good notes for you."

" Ugh." Syaoran groaned despite himself. " I feel bad for the math team. I promised Lebedeva-sensei I would help everyone else and now I didn't go."

" She understands. We get sick. It happens."

" I can't believe at the start of the term though." Syaoran lamented as he sat down next to the girls. " Ugh. But I don't think I can stand reading right now."

" You want to watch some television?" Tomoyo asked. " We won't mind."

" Iie, I'm okay. Just tired."

" You should sleep more." Sakura said.

Syaoran smiled. " I feel like I slept enough, though. Arigatou, for taking care of me."

" Nonsense." Sakura smiled. " You're our friend. It's what friends do."

The statement made Syaoran all warm inside and it showed. Kero settled on the boy's shoulder, not for the first time glad that Sakura was such a warmhearted, caring person. Sakura, oblivious, went back to her homework.

" Need any help?" Syaoran asked kindly.

" You," Sakura got up suddenly, " Are going to rest." She pulled Syaoran bodily out of the chair, and dragged the laughing boy to the couch in front of the television. " If there are no shows there are a bunch of movies you can watch. Kero-chan, help him out."

Syaoran reclined, grinning boyishly at her, as Kero flicked on the channels.

" Are you sure you don't mind?" He grabbed the remote control to turn the volume down.

" Relax!" Sakura yelled. " I don't care if you're immune to spells. I'll invent something to loosen you up. Watch and have fun!"

" Alright!" Syaoran grinned.

oO

Forrest Mir dropped his sword on the floor when he reached the hotel room.

" Find anything?"

Forrest glanced at the boy lying on the bed, fiddling with his gameboy. " The suspected child was conveniently absent today. It seems Lady Aileen really did not expect that either."

" She's not an ambitious sorceress. She's too weak to fight against all the other sorcerers." The boy said absently, Legend of Zelda beeping from his console. " You know the name. Why don't you try looking for a Suzuki Akira around town?"

" I do not have the access." Forrest replied. " I am too far removed from non-magical society to know the system well enough."

" That puts you at a distinct disadvantage."

" It does." Forrest frowned. " And it puts the child at a distinct disadvantage as well."

The boy glanced up, appearing to pause the game. Forrest was a mix of many ethnic groups and it showed. He had a malignant air about him which contrasted his statement, and had a very unnerving smile. He had dark black hair and cold blue eyes, and wore robes of black and purple and blue. The boy he spoke to did not have a sunny appearance either; he had white hair and gray eyes, with a white cloth tied around his head like he was mourning, and currently was dressed in a gray tunic with a blood-red symbol for blood in the front. His eyebrows were serious and his eyes seemed to behold shadow wherever he looked.

" Somehow I feel, if the guardians and the Card Mistress can hide the boy from _you, _and appeared to frighten off the only sorcerer who knows about him, he might be in safer hands than you think."

" I will not take any risks." Forrest replied, heading to the window and looking out.

" It is strange," The boy said after a pause, " That of all the guardians, only you had such dreams."

Forrest was silent. Ever since he met the Orb Mistress, he had nightmares about the Key. The destruction it would unleash across the world, sometimes because of him. When he learned the Key was a human child, those dreams changed; the child suffered, sometimes by his hand, and his screams echoed through a desolate landscape, never ending until Forrest woke. Often, even when Forrest was not the one hurting the child, he saw everything through the sorcerer, felt and thought all the disgusting thoughts as he executed them. This happened nightly, so much so that the guardian's very aura became 

twisted, and his personality blackened. In the end, he felt the child would be better off with a quick death, which would also be better for the world in general.

" I heard this Card Mistress was quite a character." The boy continued. " Supposedly she kicked Hiirigaziwa's butt across Japan."

" That is one sorcerer, not many."

" Alright. She might struggle."

" She fights against the world."

" And against us, now." The boy went back to his game. " Perhaps the child should be given a choice, Forrest, whether he wishes to risk capture, or whether he wishes to end his life prematurely by your hand."

" The child is the Key to Ultimate Power. He cannot make a choice." Forrest spat. " He cannot even decide, perhaps, who to give this power to, from the looks of it. It has to be forced out of him."

" How do you know?" The boy pointed out. " The soul flies when the heart is reached. When the sorcerers of old created the Key, they purposely made it so that this riddle is absolutely useless until we know what form the Key took. And even after we found out this Key is a soul, this riddle is still useless. Which soul flies? Yours? Or his? And which heart is reached? How is that heart meant to be reached?"

" Which is precisely why I must kill him quickly." Forrest replied. " They will try many things with this riddle."

" And he might die, ultimately, without giving them what they want." The boy answered. " Because obviously, once dead, he would be reincarnated. And yet many interpret the riddle to be a stab to the heart."

" But they do not want him to die. Which is why they will try everything else first. And what if one of them works?"

" It worked once. Li Shenti uncovered a crystal. Even if it did not help him–the poor fool."

" He tried to use it once he found out what it was." Forrest replied. " It disappeared, however, before he could."

" So we know there is more to this." The boy pointed out. " In addition to letting the crystals into the world, this child can send the crystals _back._ Which is highly useful, I must say. And, it did not require a stab to the heart, I should think."

" We do not know what happened with him." Forrest shook his head. " We just know the child did not die."

" Obviously."

" Suzuki Akira." Forrest murmured to himself. " And they took great pains too, to ensure his real name was never mentioned in public."

" But if the crow saw Li before, he would recognize Suzuki."

" And no one else will." Forrest paced a little. " I need to see if I can find anything."

" Be careful." The boy warned. " That Card Mistress is very antsy about this. Tell you what, let me go with you."

Forrest sneered. " I doubt that would help."

" It should." The boy ignored the sneer, transforming his clothes so they fit the weather more appropriately. " And you need a change of attire as well." He waved at Forrest's robes, which changed to more casual, modern clothes.

Forrest, not interested, was already heading out the door. " Hopefully this will be quick." He hissed. " The longer this takes, the more time other people will have."

oO

Touya had always imagined Yukito to be more popular with the girls than he was, so it was a bit of an eye opener when in the lounge he discovered Yukito knew none of the girls. The girls, for their part, were interested in Yukito, but he had been sullen mostly which contrasted sharply to his easy manner the years before, and did not pay that much attention to anyone unless he had to. Touya was regarded as the handsomer of the two, and as he was single, the girls competed for his attention.

Touya was all for dating girls; college life, he heard, was all about developing one's charms, but he found his best friend's woefulness dampening on his own spirits as well. Not to mention, there was suddenly some serial killer near campus, something that unnerved many of the freshman considerably. Yukito used this as an excuse to stay in his dorm all the time. Touya, on the other hand, felt a little rebellious, and was unwilling to allow something like a serial killer get in the way of his fun.

" You ought to come with me." Touya urged Yukito. " Come on, I heard that band was really good, although I don't know myself."

" I'm not really interested in it." Yukito said truthfully. " Who are you going with? Go in a large group; it's not safe out there."

" I was thinking just the two of us." Touya told him. " You with your moon magic could probably take care of the killer no problem."

" I don't know if Yue can stop bullets." But magic was always an advantage, Yukito had to admit. " And…what about Yamaguchi?"

" What about her?"

" I thought you were going with her."

" Yuki-san, we are not going out…Kami-sama what is wrong with you lately?" Touya shoved Yukito a little. " Hm? You okay there? You really need to relax, you know."

Yukito sighed, for the first time annoyed with Touya. " I can't. Li was attacked, and, ugh!"

" Well he's fine now." Touya pointed out. " And you're going to reinforce protections around the house over the weekend."

" I know."

" Relax. You can't do anything tonight. There's nothing wrong with going out and having a little fun."

" I'll pass." Yukito frowned. " I don't think I would enjoy it."

Touya frowned as well. " You can't keep doing this Yuki."

" I'll be fine."

" If you say so." Touya swung his body around his chair to look at his laptop. " Look, the odds of us getting killed by a serial killer is kind of one in…however big Tokyo is. Or two, since it's the two of us, but I doubt you'd get shot."

" It's really not about that." Yukito sighed. " Look, let's just drop it."

" Fine."

Silence ensued for a while.

" So what do you think of Yamaguchi?"

" She's okay." Touya replied absently.

" You think you'll go out with her again?"

" I don't know." Touya answered. " She gossips a lot. It's kind of annoying."

" Does she?"

" Hai." Touya nodded. " I learned a ton of stuff about Inoue, Tanaka, and Abe that I otherwise would not have learned. And did not really care to learn.'

" I'm sure she's just talkative. There's nothing wrong with that."

" Well, I didn't really care to learn about some of the stuff."

" So she's not the most discrete. You don't like her?"

" I don't know." Touya shrugged. " She's nice otherwise."

" She seems really smart."

" That too. You thinking about any girl of your own?"

" You're joking, right?"

Touya turned around. " Yuki-san, I'm really getting worried here."

" To-ya, I'm fine."

" Look, we need to talk about this." Touya insisted. " I already had a talk about Yue's attitude problem with Yue, and I know you're listening!"

Yukito rubbed his ears. " He can hear you just fine." He complained. " There's no need to shout."

" In any case, Sakura can handle everything just fine, I'm sure." Touya pointed. " I know you're anxious because you've never actually taken care of anyone before, even if for the past few years you managed to procure enough income to buy food and pay your house expenses."

" I was mostly with you. And half of my memories were made up." Yukito responded. " For all I know, I did not _have _living expenses. In fact, now that I think of it, I never did any taxes, or paid any bills, because supposedly my _grandparents _paid for them."

Touya started. " Kuso." He realized. " Is that what you were edgy about all this time?"

" As far as I know, the water still runs, the electricity is still there," Yukito paused, " Yue thinks Clow might have bought that house along with Eriol's old house specifically so I could live there. The only thing I really counted on with that house is that the structure was real and the magical protections were real."

Touya swore again. " Well, maybe the kid would be under the radar there, if you don't have to pay any bills."

Yukito leaned back. " Stupid. He's eleven years old. He's living by himself. It's one thing to leave a kid by himself at home for a while. It's another thing to force the kid to live by himself. In fact, now that I think about it, where did all my money come from? They seemed to be just there in the bank account. I withdrew some money earlier today and looked at my transaction, and there were about eight hundred sixty million yen in there, just sitting there.'

" Clow Reed?"

" How? They didn't have bank accounts back then! And I withdrew half of it on the spot into cash." Yukito muttered, " Because I was afraid the negative interest rate would prevent me from being able to afford both college and Li."

" Well Eriol is going to come for Li in a year. You don't have to take care of him indefinitely."

" Well what if Li gets injured?"

Touya walked over and crouched in front of Yukito.

" This is going to undo everything I told Yue the other night." Touya took a deep breath. " Yukito, I highly doubt, if Li gets injured, you would need to pay for any hospital expenses."

Yukito was silent at this.

" Yue needs to decide whether or not he cares enough about this kid to do what is necessary." Touya poked Yukito in the chest. " _You _need to realize that in reality, at the rate things are going, Li might not survive this year. More importantly, it's up to Yue to protect the kid; not you. You can't do anything. You just have to be patient with him and give him whatever you can, and trust that things will work out. It's Yue who should be worrying like this. You hear that Yue?"

" He heard everything." Yukito leaned against the table wearily. " You know what, you're right. I really shouldn't be the one going crazy over this. I can't do anything like this, and I'd just be worrying myself to death for nothing and it would affect my grades and work,"

" So you up for listening to the band?"

" To-ya, that's really not me."

" Yu-ki, why don't you give it a _try _before you decide?" Touya grinned. " Come on. I'll get us front row."


	16. Chapter 16

The Key

Chapter 16

Things went back to normal. Syaoran did, after all, survive the attack, and though it was frightening at the time for everyone involved, the children especially were very capable of recovering from the scare. They altered their habits to adjust, however. Sakura reinforced the protections on the house with numerous spells. Syaoran's ability to unlock everything proved vital, for otherwise he would not be able to enter the house. After he recovered from the flu, he went back to the Tsukishiro residence with Kero, who began accompanying him everywhere instead of Sakura. This, since it was according to Sakura's suggestions, was not a big problem, and Syaoran liked having the guardian around; it gave him a feeling of comfort and security.

The weeks passed this way. Syaoran would go to school; during lunch he would hang out with Yamazaki and the boys, or with Sakura and the girls, usually because Naoko insisted. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays he had soccer practice. On Thursdays he had math team. On the first math team session he attended, Lebedeva had a friend with her who she introduced as Mir. Syaoran had smiled brightly at the man, eager to please. Though the man did not smile back, he did look startled, and seemed to avoid Syaoran's eyes whenever the boy looked at him. Completely oblivious to the reason, Syaoran said goodbye to him politely when the team dispersed.

There was still no word from Eriol, although Sakura managed to reach Kaho.

" There was a lot of activity at his place." Kaho told Sakura. " I know a lot of sorcerers went in. I did not see any come out." Which had its own dark implications.

Kaho had not kept in touch with Eriol since their return to England. Eriol had not debriefed her on the particulars on the attacks of the Li clan.

Sakura was not certain about Kaho's relationship with Eriol or Clow. When she learned Kaho had no idea about the Key, she decided not to confide in the other sorceress. She was starting to feel something was not right in England. Eriol was at half his strength. With all these attacks Kaho spoke of, could Eriol handle all that?

For Syaoran's sake, she did not voice her worry. She did not want to give him more reason to feel guilty. It was not something he could help, anyway.

Yukito, on the other hand, while he was still concerned about Syaoran's welfare, was no longer so reserved. The first exams were looming, and everyone started cramming for them. Touya forgot to call home, and Yukito told Syaoran he was busy so the call only lasted for about twenty seconds.

Syaoran, for his part, was quickly becoming one of the most popular boys in the school. Naoko quickly found competition for his attention. Strangely, once Sakura realized there were more girls vying for his attention, she became much less annoyed with the situation. Perhaps she realized that, with all that interest, Syaoran was less likely to pick any one of them, which had its points.

Obviously, since Syaoran was sick he was not able to go to the movies with Naoko that Friday, and when he did come back to school, he nearly ended up getting himself into an outing with another group of girls. Fortunately, he remembered he was allowed to say no, and his quick thinking enabled him to get out of social events for the next few weeks, including ones with Naoko.

He fell sick twice before September was over. Both times Sakura had him stay over with her, and the last time Fujitaka had been there.

" You have to take better care of yourself." Fujitaka had remonstrated Syaoran, then muttered to himself " Poor kid's too stressed."

Which was true. Syaoran had gained a little weight over the summer under Yukito's care. By himself again, he had actually lost weight, despite springing up half an inch. There were certain things a child simply could not do alone. Syaoran was too young to fully understand how to take care of himself, and Kero found himself getting exhausted.

" He does do his homework." He said to Tomoyo one day during lunch, when Syaoran had chosen to go with Yamazaki to the library and Sakura decided to go with them. Tomoyo had opted for sitting outside in the yard, which was according to Kero's preferences as he had been trapped in the stuffy bag all morning. " That's not the problem."

" Doesn't do chores?"

" He does the chores. He's really neat, or haven't you noticed? Kind of like, not-boyish-anymore kind of neat. I mean, if you took a look at Touya's room, especially over the summer—Kami-sama!"

" So what exactly is he neglecting to do?"

" Oh, you know, recognizing when he's about to catch a cold before he actually catches the cold, knowing when to take it easy and let _me _do the chores instead of wasting more energy arguing with me about the chores, stop being so freaking polite because it's driving me _nuts—_I mean, we're practically family. _Come on._"

" He needs to remember how to play again." Tomoyo said, unaware that Syaoran had never played the sense she was referring to. " I didn't really have to do chores because Oka-san keeps house servants, but I once had to help Sakura clean up the house when both her brother and her father were away. Kami-sama, if I had to do that every day, I wouldn't have time for anything else. Makes you wonder about working moms."

" I really wish he would let me take care of him." Kero was irritated. " Either that, or Yue get his rear end over here and take care of Syaoran. He really needs to stop taking care of himself. It's exhausting the kid, and it's exhausting _me _trying to convince him of that."

oO

Yue could not help, because Yukito was starting to have problems. Someone was in Tokyo and seemed to be very interested in Touya. It was something Yue would not have cared about, if it were not for the sudden multiple murders across the city.

Tokyo was a relatively safe city. There were fights, but they were reasonably rare. The police (Kobans) were said by some to be run by Japanese mafia, but if so they were still very diligent about maintaining order. On the whole, elementary school children still walked to school alone without parental supervision; something that is usually unthinkable in developed countries outside Japan, or even developing cities. Murders do occur, but often they were the household kinds. Serial killers do not function well in Japan, nor do they remain killers for very long, as the Kobans were very militaristic about putting them behind bars.

The someone that had put Yue on alert was not a student or staff member of the university. By day he wore a long windcoat and hat, obscuring his face, but Yukito could swear he saw him once after midnight under a streetlamp, wearing robes.

The fact that Yukito and Touya had separate majors, and that Touya's major required he should go to many social events while Yukito's major required him to stay inside and study, did not aid Yue's endeavors to protect his friend.

" You know," Touya had complained, " I'm a full grown man. I'm going to be nineteen years old soon–I really don't think I should be afraid of being out at nights past eight. Seriously, I was out past eight when I was fourteen."

" You didn't have a stalker back then." Yukito pointed out. " You were in Tomoeda. Tokyo's a different story."

Touya stared at Yukito. " I'm not Li. It's not like I have anything anyone would want.

" What about those murders?"

" Yukito, you don't actually know for sure if it's the same guy. So he happens to wear robes. Tokyo is allowed to have a few sorcerers. Chances are, if they are looking for the Key, they're not looking for someone like me. Alright?"

" Be careful." Yukito insisted. " For my sake."

Understanding Yukito's difficulty, Touya agreed. Still, when the stranger Yukito had seen in robes approached Touya, the boy made no effort to avoid him.

" Konnichiwa." The man bowed. " I am Sakurazuka Seishiro."

" Uh, hi?" Touya blinked. Even without magic, there was something distinctly wrong with the man. Touya could not place it–it was like he was in the wrong place somehow; in the wrong country, or wrong time, or wrong world, even.

" Are you Kinomoto Touya?" Sakurazuka asked.

Feeling on guard now, but determined to take care of himself, Touya replied, " Why does that matter?"

Sakurazaka smiled. " I was hoping you can do me a favor." He waved a hand, and Touya's mind went blank.

Hours later, Touya came back to the dorm, looking a little pale, but none the worse for wear.

" Are you alright?" Yukito asked, as Yue sensed some residue magic on Touya.

" Hai. Why?"

" Hm." Yukito blinked, but did not pry.

oO

It was Sakura's turn to get sick. Even though Kero and Nadeshiko told him he did not have to, Syaoran headed over to Sakura's house to take care of her during the day. It was the weekend, but Fujitaka had to head over to the university campus. Since Syaoran was usually very helpful around the house, the elder Kinomoto did not mind having the boy over.

Kero poked at Syaoran harshly to remind him that while it was good for him to cook some herbal soup and brew some medicine for Sakura, as he was going to stay around for a good six or seven hours he better remember to make himself a share of meals as well. When Nadeshiko joined in, the boy was too embarrassed to decline in any manner. Syaoran was easily embarrassed, something that Kero used to his advantage.

Sakura's mother remained by Syaoran's side far longer than she ever had before. On the whole, Syaoran had only seen her four times, counting the first time he met her at Yukito's. She was going to be reincarnated soon, and preparations were already being made. He had inquired after his mother and sisters, and asked Nadeshiko what happened to his father.

" The protections around the Li clan prevented any spirit from visiting." Nadeshiko told him. " Or at least, that was what I heard. Your father, I think, was reincarnated five years ago."

Different spirits, as it turned out, reincarnate at different intervals. There was a rule, but Nadeshiko did not tell him what it was. They also did not necessarily have to reincarnate into the same dimension; there were many dimensions out there, which may be a reason the Key was never discovered until now.

Unable to hide his disappointment, but comforted at least that his father did not choose to abandon him, Syaoran asked Nadeshiko many questions while he chopped and tossed stuff into the boiling water to cook for her daughter. Nadeshiko was not very forthcoming about the realm of the dead, so Syaoran asked her questions about Sakura. This led to many amusing stories of Sakura and Touya as infants.

" Touya was so fond of his sister." Nadeshiko remembered as Syaoran carved up the chicken to boil it while he left the water running on the mushrooms. " He would play with her whenever he got back from school. When we first brought her home, he wanted to take her to school with him to show everyone his new baby sister."

The idea of Touya, who is now tall, handsome, and suave, being at one point shorter than Syaoran and endearing in such a childish, innocent way, was absolutely delightful to Syaoran. The idea of Sakura being an infant just learning to talk, as opposed to the sharp-tongued, strong-willed girl that she now is, was also very amusing. Sakura and Kero, neither hearing Nadeshiko's side of the conversation, only heard random bursts of that rare laughter from the kitchen, as a delicious smell filled the first floor. Syaoran also made sure to include Sakura and Kero in the conversation, repeating Nadeshiko's words for their sake, but he did not relate any of Nadeshiko's tales until after she was finished, enjoying them for himself first.

Sakura's voice had disappeared, leaving her with a rasping whisper that made her sound very funny whenever she was agitated about something. While Syaoran was very gallant about it, Kero wasted no opportunity making fun of her for it. After much indignant protestations, Syaoran finally finished the soup, and they ate, Kero glaring at Syaoran whenever Sakura was not looking to remind the boy to take care of himself.

At length Sakura reclined on the couch after lunch, stomach warm and full, and she drifted off. Syaoran decided he could risk going into her room to fetch her a blanket. Sakura, oblivious, did not wake up when he tucked her in, nor did she wake up when Syaoran dropped all of his books while taking them out of his backpack to do his homework.

oO

She knew she was dreaming, and this dream had that particular feel of a premonition. She was sitting on a swing, and Syaoran was sitting on a swing next to her. Except Syaoran seemed handsomer, for some reason. Dream Sakura did not seem to notice, but Sakura felt like while she was herself in the dream, somehow she was seeing through another person's eyes. She saw that Syaoran in this dream was not as skinny as the real Syaoran, and though there was a quiet grace about him as well, he was much more confident and less melancholy.

" So it ended up being Hope." Syaoran was saying. " Or something of the sort."

" Hai."

" I wonder just how powerful that card is." Syaoran murmured. " It is definitely more powerful than the Nothing Card, but just how do you use it? And what do you use it for?"

" I'm not sure." Dream Sakura answered. She was thinking about some house; Eriol's mansion, and Sakura was not certain why. They sat in silence for a while.

" When are you going back to Hong Kong, Syaoran-kun?" Dream Sakura asked.

" When the summer's over." Syaoran had answered. " Meiling wanted to see some friends first before she goes."

" Okay." Dream Sakura said happily. " We can celebrate your birthday then. July thirteenth is Saturday."

Syaoran looked at her, as if surprised she would remember.

For some reason Dream Sakura suddenly seemed upset. Sakura soon learned why. " Well, there goes any surprises."

Syaoran smiled a little. It was the same smile, just as shy and sheepish as the real Syaoran, but his aura was radiating pleasure and gratitude.

_Aura?_

oO

" Is your birthday July thirteenth?"

" Wha!" Syaoran yelled, nearly falling off his chair. He turned around. " You woke up?"

Sakura blushed. She had barely woken up before asking that question. In fact, she had partly been asking Syaoran in the dream, although the words were not spoken out loud. Her voice had returned briefly for the question, in a loud, nasal, rough voice that did not sound at all like her.

" Gomen ne," She blushed even deeper. " I didn't mean to scare you." Now her voice had gone again.

" Iie iie, I was just focusing a lot on the book." Syaoran raised the book. " What did you say earlier? I didn't catch it."

" I…" Sakura blinked. " For some reason I thought July thirteenth was your birthday."

Syaoran hesitated. " It is." He said blankly. " Why?"

The doorbell rang before Sakura could reply, and Syaoran got up to answer. It was Tomoyo. Before either of them could say anything though, Sakura called out (in a whisper, as it was the best she could manage), " Tomoyo-chan! We missed Akira-chan's birthday!"

Deeply puzzled, as Syaoran recalled he never told anyone when his real birthday was, having been satisfied with the random birth date picked by Yukito and Kero, he asked " How did you know?" before he could stop himself.

" I had a dream." Sakura glanced at the blankets in dismay over what she learned, then studied the blankets themselves. It was easy to see where they came from. " You were visiting me for the summer with your cousin Meiling."

" Meiling." Syaoran paused. " Oh her. Really?"

" Why," Sakura asked, " Who is she?"

" She's my cousin, as you said." Syaoran moved out of the way while Tomoyo headed to feel Sakura's forehead. " She's pretty powerful. Supposedly she was the most talented of our generation, knew a lot of elemental spells. What were we doing?"

" We were discussing the cards." Sakura frowned. " I don't remember any card called the Nothing Card, or Love. Weird."

" Must be your fever." Tomoyo lowered her hand. " How are you feeling?"

" Good. Weirded out, but okay." Sakura smiled at Tomoyo. " Thanks for coming by."

" Actually I came by to take advantage of Akira-chan's genius." Tomoyo winked while Sakura mock-scowled and pretended to smack her.

As everyone settled down again, Sakura thought about the dream, wondering why she had it.

" I want to go over to Eriol's mansion later." She suddenly announced.

Syaoran and Tomoyo looked at her, then looked at each other, clearly thinking she lost her mind but not willing to say it.

" You're still sick." Syaoran told Sakura. " It's probably not wise."

" I'm pretty sure there's something there."

" You can go when you're better," Tomoyo raised her eyebrows. " Until then stay put, I'd say."

Sakura relented, as she was still feeling ill. She fell asleep again. This time the dream was not as pleasant. She saw Syaoran, his face splattered with blood and smudged with dirt. She could not see the rest of him, only his face, but she knew he was pressed against something, a rock, it looked like. He was weeping, and screaming in agony–someone was hurting him, badly, and showed no signs of relenting.

Sakura screamed as well, waking up instantly. Tomoyo and Syaoran rushed to her side, and upon seeing Syaoran, Sakura flung her arms around his neck, crying and shuddering without even realizing it. She was so horrified by the vision that she did not even realize when her father came in, nor Syaoran talking to him, until Syaoran stroked her hair and asked her, loudly but kindly, to calm down, that it was just a dream.

" That was some nightmare." Fujitaka told her when she finally let go and sat still.

" Hai." Sakura said in a dry, raspy voice. Her throat hurt! " I'm not letting anyone get Syaoran-kun."

Syaoran blinked at the use of his nickname, while Fujitaka, after a brief hesitation, nodded firmly. " I know, sweetheart. No one will get Suzuki-san.

" Syaoran-kun, are you okay?" Sakura asked nervously, holding out her hand. Syaoran, still confused, took it and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

" I'm more concerned about you right now." He said, while Kero, who was on the floor (he tended to drop to the floor whenever Fujitaka was around, out of habit) sprang up the sofa into Sakura's lap.

" Otou-san, can he stay tonight?"

" You're the one that's sick." Syaoran pointed out.

" Otou-san?" Sakura begged. Syaoran stopped protesting, as he saw something was really wrong.

" Of course, if he does not mind." Fujitaka looked at Syaoran and Tomoyo, just as confused as they were.

" Syaoran-kun," Sakura held out her arms again shakily, and Syaoran hugged her. Fujitaka did not react to this display of affection, even when it became obvious his daughter had no intention of letting go for a long time.

" I'm going to call your brother," Fujitaka told Sakura, leaving the children to it. Syaoran and Tomoyo stared at each other, asking each other silent questions, but neither of them knew why Sakura was suddenly acting this way.


	17. Chapter 17

The Key

Chapter 17

Sakura came to herself again, with new resolutions not to let Syaoran come to any harm. She went as far as to study the cards to keep track of Syaoran's well-being. Unfortunately, she was not able to come up with anything that would help, and actually threw a fit later. Feeling bad for her, Syaoran promised to be careful and told her to take it easy, as he will have Kero with him at all times. The math competition was looming, however, and Syaoran was very excited and nervous at the same time. He would frequently ask for Sakura's help, which Kero and Tomoyo found hilarious because Sakura was horrible at math.

Fujitaka was beginning to regard Syaoran as his son; Syaoran was so helpful around the house the man looked forward to having the child over. He was also a good influence on Sakura, whose math and science grades, her most lamentable subjects, rose dramatically under Syaoran's tutelage. Fujitaka was beginning to note things parents pay deep attention to; Syaoran remained thin and was getting slightly gaunter by the week. Not sure about Yukito's circumstances, Fujitaka made sure to treat Syaoran to dinner every weekday he was home, or both lunch and dinner on weekends. Syaoran would cook alongside Fujitaka, ensuring that if the child ever leaves the Kinomotos, he would leave some recipes behind that they never tried before.

Strangely, though usually cheerful, Syaoran's disposition never quite lost its melancholy, and the elder Kinomoto wondered if his own son, Touya, had ever been as sad as Syaoran is when they first lost Nadeshiko.

Once Sakura got better, she headed over to Eriol's mansion, but could not find anything. She had some more dreams about Syaoran, still with an aura, doing every day things. She had the impression they were together somehow, even though Syaoran was slightly different in the dreams. For one thing, he did not seem to get along with Kero, was a lot ruder in general, and Sakura herself seemed to treat Syaoran with a lot of awe.

Not really understanding, Sakura set the visions aside for later contemplation, figuring she could wait and learn more before figuring out where to go.

October passed by; Touya finished his midterms, Yukito called to tell Syaoran he would be back at around mid-December for break, which, while it made Syaoran doubly anxious about erasing all traces of his living at the Tsukishiro's, the news made the boy very happy about the coming month.

In school, Kero started getting very nervous about the new friend of Lebedeva's. Mir did not come very often, but he did come, and seemed once to try to follow Syaoran home, although in order to test him, Kero had told Syaoran to take him out of the bag. Once in full view, Kero was able to watch Mir, and discovered, upon seeing the guardian, or at least it appeared that way, Mir abandoned walking after Syaoran.

Once he saw this, Kero began suspecting Lebedeva. He told Sakura of his concerns, and the next day Sakura accosted her in the classroom during lunch.

" You're that Aileen, aren't you?" Sakura realized out loud. She dropped all courtesies as she pieced everything together. " I've been so naïve." She lamented in frustration. " You Russians!"

Lebedeva, knowing who she was dealing with, said guardedly, " I do not know what you mean."

" Of course you know what I mean." Sakura pointed her staff at the woman. " Either you are Aileen, or you are another witch."

A long moment of silence ensued. Outside the kids shouted as they ran around, and one of the basketballs crashed against the metal bars outside the first floor windows.

" Don't think just because you're a teacher I can't fix you." Sakura glared.

" I'd be a fool to simply trust your capabilities." Lebedeva dropped all pretenses. " You may be powerful, but even _you _can't hope to match the strength of the rest of the world."

" Oh, I don't know." Sakura risked sounding haughty to point out. " Plenty of great sorcerers emerged by fighting against the world. It has been done, and I shall do it again if I have to."

" Commendable. But still foolhardy. I assure you, I will not harm the child so long as no harm comes to me."

" Oh really?" Sakura lowered the staff. " You have a crazy way of ensuring no harm comes to you, lady. Who's that man that keeps stalking my friend?"

" Your friend?" Lebedeva blinked, confused for a moment, before realizing what Sakura meant. " Oh. The Key? He is Forrest Mir. I introduced him to the team before. Did _Suzuki-san _not tell you?"

Sakura paled. She remembered Forrest Mir. It was not because Eriol said it overly much, somehow the name stood out. " He and that sister of yours killed his father."

" Actually that was just my sister." Lebedeva did not seem interested in defending her sister's actions. " Mir would hardly be interested in the father. He is a guardian of the Key. One of the guardians, at least."

" Well if he's a guardian what's he waiting for?" Sakura asked, puzzled. Part of her was reluctant to believe anything Lebedeva said, but she had to know in case Lebedeva told the truth.

" I am just an average sorceress." Lebedeva replied dryly. " If you want to know his plans, ask him if you dare. He certainly does not see fit in confiding in _me._"

" I can see why." Sakura lowered her staff even more. " I'll be watching you, Aileen. One wrong move and you'll regret it."

" What, you'll kill me?" Lebedeva sneered.

Sakura's eyes burned into hers. " You think I can't? Or do you think I won't?" Without another word, Sakura turned around and left the classroom.

" Getting bullied by eleven-year-old girls." Lebedeva glanced at the ceiling. " Clow Reed, you have a bizarre sense of humor."

That evening Sakura decided she wanted to hound out all the sorcerers who were in Tomoeda looking for Syaoran. She left Syaoran in Fujitaka's care' (" I don't want him to get worried", she had explained) and used the cards to scry for them at Tomoyo's. What they told her was not very encouraging.

" We have a guardian I can't find," Sakura told Yukito on the phone two hours later, " I'm assuming that's one. Aileen turns out to be our math teacher; so far she hasn't done anything. There's at least one other person who knows what he is looking for; that white man standing outside your house the other night who I drove off. Then there are at least eight other individuals in or around Tomoeda. They may or may not have seen Syaoran before, and may or may not know that he's here."

" Why can't you find the guardian?" Yukito asked.

" Because he's blocking me somehow." Sakura shook her head, even though Yukito could not see her. " He's invisible to me. In fact, if I hadn't let Kero stay with Syaoran all the time, I wouldn't even know there was a Mir following Syaoran. He doesn't seem to be following him often, but I can bet he's keeping track of Syaoran's whereabouts. I don't want to look too hard for him, because that might attract unwanted attention."

" No word from Eriol?"

" Iie. But I reached Kaho. I think England is in worse shape." Sakura frowned. " I hope he's okay. This is starting to worry me."

" Ask Kaho to take a look for you." Yukito suggested. " I don't like the feeling of this."

But Kaho was strangely silent as well; Sakura was unable to reach her at all.

Worried, Sakura wondered if she should actually go over to England, but she was unwilling to risk Syaoran's life.

" What should I do?" She asked her father.

" I would say, since he left Syaoran in your care for a year," Fujitaka told her, " You should honor that and wait a year and hope for the best."

Feeling that she had no other option, Sakura, though troubled, resigned to give Eriol the benefit of a doubt.

oO

" So what made you hesitate?" The boy asked. " His good looks?"

Forrest glared at the boy. " He does not remember."

" Well, I would say he had other things on his mind at the time." The boy replied. " What ever happened to killing him quickly?"

Forrest did not answer.

" You're getting soft." The boy snarled at this. " Granted, I was not fond of the idea in the first place, but make up your bloody mind already."

Forrest paced back and forth.

" You said so yourself. The more time you waste wondering what to do, the more time other people have to act." The boy urged. " If killing is what you plan to do, do it, and do it quick. If you intend to do something else with the kid, such as take his powers for yourself, do that, and do _that _quick. Don't hang around hesitating."

" I _know._" Forrest sneered. " But he is a child, and I cannot help but feel sorry for him."

" So you _are _growing soft." The boy replied. " But decide quickly what is more merciful for the child. A life on the run?"

" Perhaps." Forrest paced. He suddenly froze. " Did you sense that?"

The boy inclined his head, face suddenly going blank. " He hails from another dimension." He said in a monotone. " There is a version of him here, but he is not aware."

" Another dimension?" Forrest blinked. " Why is he in this dimension?"

" He is seeking the cards from the Card Mistress." The boy scowled. " I don't know what for. That's all I could see."

" He's looking for cards?" Forrest was surprised. " Now that the Key is exposed, he is interested in the cards more than he is interested in the Key?"

" I don't think he knows the Key is here." The boy replied. " However, I would suggest you keep an eye on the Key, all the same."

" And what, protect him from this other-dimensional sorcerer? He's not interested in the Key."

" Doesn't mean he wouldn't get any ideas." The boy pointed out.

oO

By the time soccer practice ended the sun had pretty much set. Syaoran said goodbye to all his friends and set off for home. Tomoeda was starting to get chilly; supposedly in two days it was actually supposed to snow a little.

Kero was not with him for the first time today; the guardian had gone home with Sakura first because Syaoran's soccer practice was ending later than usual, and the guardian wanted to get a bite to eat quickly before heading back to Yukito's. Syaoran had a suspicion Sakura wanted Kero for other reasons, but thinking about it made him feel lousy. Not for the first time, he felt like he had been cheated, somehow. He really was not the type of person to sit back helplessly while other people handle everything.

The wind blew, and was strangely dry; it made his eyes water, and the clouds seemed to sail high above the ground, making the sky look vast and open. Stars twinkled into view, and the crescent moon shone, bright and glowing. How fitting Yue should be of the moon, Syaoran mused, for Yue is hardly the brightest, most radiant being on earth, yet there was a glow to him that was both haunting and comforting. Even Yukito did not exactly have a sunny disposition; he was too reserved. _Introverted, _Syaoran thought.

There was a man at the corner of the street Syaoran was supposed to make a turn. What caught Syaoran's eye was the fact that this man was dressed in robes, very much like a sorcerer. Syaoran already developed an innate fear of sorcerers at this point, but it did not seem the man noticed him, and the only real way to avoid his attention was to not notice the robes overly much. Syaoran allowed himself some time to study the man, however; a normal person would have done the same.

At his approach, however, the man turned, and Syaoran saw a glow emit from the man's gloved hand and seemed to go into his head. Whatever that blue spell was supposed to do, however, Syaoran did not feel the effects of it.

" Tell me your name." The man ordered.

" Suzuki Akira," Syaoran answered automatically, before he even realized he had just been attacked. He kept his face neutral and thanked the gods it was nighttime; he could feel the fear draining the blood from his face and the air grow cold around him.

" Are you good friends with the Card Mistress?"

Syaoran hesitated, panic exploding in his brain. _What?_

" Let me rephrase." The man said quickly, before Syaoran had time to think. " Are you good friends with Kinomoto Sakura?"

" Hai." Syaoran answered, trying not to blink; he was not sure how this spell was supposed to work.

" Listen to me carefully, Suzuki Akira." The man told him. " You will not remember our meeting here tonight. You will go to Kinomoto tomorrow, and ask to visit her house. You will look for a book while there. It should be a pink book, with ornate coverings. You will take it and leave the house without letting her know."

_He's after the cards?_ Syaoran tried to process all this without an outward reaction.

" At eight-o-clock meet me in Penguin Park, under the penguin slide. Understood?"

Syaoran hesitated, still stunned. He blinked. The light caught his eyes, making them glow in the dark. The man instantly knew something was wrong. He waved another spell. That spell worked as well as the first one did, and apparently Syaoran did something to give it away. The man suddenly seized his sword, and Syaoran, realizing he was exposed, instantly lunged forward and punched the man in the chest.

The man flew backwards–Syaoran wasted no time grabbing the hand that held the sword and twisting it. The man kicked upwards–Syaoran grabbed the leg and flung it away from him. He let go of the hand, as he could not wrestle the sword out. White lights dashed toward him, and Syaoran leaped into the air to avoid them. Another flash, like light reflecting off metal, sailed toward him, and Syaoran reached up with both hands, catching the blade.

" Who are you?" He demanded, his voice shaking from fear and urgency.

" Who I am is none of your concern."

" What do you want with Sakura?" Syaoran twisted the blade to his left. When the blade did not budge, he pulled the blade over him, kicking the man's hand. The blade clattered on the ground as both dropped it.

The man and boy regarded each other. Syaoran stayed low, eyeing the man's every move.

" How were you able to deflect my spell?" The man asked. " No one has been able to do it before."

Syaoran was not surprised, nor was he inclined to answer the question. " What are you after Sakura's cards for?"

" I need them." The man cast another spell. Syaoran tried to dodge, but this one, like all mind spells, hit him without effect.

" You're immune to mind spells." The man realized. " What are you?"

" That's none of your business."

" Hm." The sorcerer paused. " Pity. You would have done better to fall under the spell. I will have to kill you now."

Panic bordering on hysteria, Syaoran spat back, " I would like to see you try!"

It had been some time since his cousins tried to hurt him with physical spells, but Syaoran still remembered to focus his attention away from the pain. He did not even know what he was hit with; all he knew was he had to charge ahead, attack the man, hopefully knock him out, or cripple him somehow. The spell collided with his head, but he went forward despite that. The agony settled after his hand found its mark, and he felt the man's ribs crunch under the impact.

He managed to fell the man with that one blow, but Syaoran nearly fell himself; his head pounded and the world spun and he was suddenly very sick. There seemed to be fire everywhere; was that a fire spell? And the man had, with difficulty, struggled to his knees, holding his broken ribs.

" You have no offensive magic." He realized. " What are you, child?"

Syaoran could not answer even if he wanted to. He saw shadows before his eyes, and through the roaring in his ears, he heard yet another person call out in the darkness.

" Lower the fire!" Someone was ordering. " Hand over the Key!"

Tears escaping his eyes, from both pain and desperation, Syaoran struggled to get his mind to think. He could feel wetness streaming down his head and face, and his vision cleared for a moment to allow him to see there were other sorcerers now, one of them the man that had first attacked him in Hong Kong. He was currently on his hands and knees, and a dizzy spell nearly made him topple over.

" Key?" The man on the corner exclaimed rather calmly, though his voice was tight in pain, " I know of no Key. But if you are referring to the boy, by all means, have him. I shall not interfere."

" Li Zhineng!" A voice called out, with a heavy foreign accent. " Come out slowly, and we can do this the easy way!"

There was apparently some fire that Syaoran could not see, but he had not realized the blazing heat around him until it disappeared. Sick and out of options, he turned his back on the man with the broken ribs and faced the other sorcerers. Two, he realized. He was facing an impossible situation. And this time, he had no one to come to his rescue.

" Stand aside." Said the man from Hong Kong. " Li Zhineng belongs to the Guardians."

" The Guardians have no more claim to him than anyone else!"

The sword was next to Syaoran. He picked it up, then staggered to his feet. _I'm not going down without a fight,_ he thought to himself. _I'm not going to let them just take me. _All those years of striving to prove himself despite all odds; he was not going to give up so easily.

" I'm not going with any of you!" He spat, his voice sounding pitifully weak, despite putting all his strength into it.

" You don't have a choice, brat." Said the man from Hong Kong. " Come with me and we will end this, quick and painless, as promised."

" You will do no such thing." Said the foreigner.

" I'm not going with either of you." Taking a deep breath, Syaoran ignored the overwhelming pain in his head and the black spots dancing in his vision. He had to stay conscious and upright at all costs.

" I'm done talking." Said the foreigner. In a flash of robes he was upon the boy. Syaoran stabbed upwards desperately, and his efforts were blocked by a magical barrier. Stumbling backwards, Syaoran struggled to remain standing. He knew if he fell he might not have the strength or time to get back up again. His limbs felt heavy and he felt cold, freezing cold, his joints aching unbearably like he had been beaten somehow.

Seishiro stood to the side, watching with some amazement at this child, now suffering from a major headwound, defending against the Russian sorcerer's spells. He was armed with Seishiro's sword, which put him at less of a disadvantage than before, but even with the sword blocking some of the spells, from the fact that the boy had no magic, he should not have stood a chance even while completely whole and healthy, let alone bleeding to death. After a few seconds of hesitation, the second sorcerer also joined in, both fighting to get at the boy, and both just short of succeeding. After an agonizing five minutes, the boy's strength obviously giving at every second, the child stabbed low and pierced flesh. He withdrew his sword, gleaming with red blood, and stabbed upwards, piercing the Russian's neck. Then, without hesitating, and in danger of swooning right there, he withdrew the sword again and poised in a defensive stance, eyes glowing feral amber at the second sorcerer.

" Boy," The second sorcerer was irritated at his foiled attempts, and very startled at what just happened, " Just give up now, do not make this hard for both of us."

" Go to hell." The boy whispered.

" What are you fighting for, hm?" The sorcerer slowly circled the child, like a meek wolf hunting a dangerous prey. " Your family is gone, Li Zhineng. Your father and mother and sisters are all killed, all because they chose the hard way. Your clan has turned its back on you; all of Hong Kong is against you. How long do you think you can remain like this, with no prospects, nothing to live for? You have no purpose in life, boy. Your sole destiny is to keep the lock to the crystals closed. What do you think staying alive would accomplish? You are _nothing _now. Why fight?"

Seishiro stepped back, wondering if what he said was true and, at the same time, knowing that this sorcerer was not lying. The boy was shivering, he could tell, and from his angle he could see tears rolling down the white, gaunt cheeks.

" It would be easier to die, trust me." The sorcerer continued. " No more being _helpless._ Start afresh. No more being a _burden. _No more endangering other people's lives. No more pain, no more sorrow, no more loss. With your death you fulfill your purpose. How about it, boy? I promise, it won't hurt a bit."

" I live for those who died before me." The child whispered, the wind alone carrying his weakened voice. " I live for my father who died to keep my name secret. For my mother and sisters who died to ensure I make it here to Tomoeda. For Sakura and Kerberus and Yue, for Eriol who I never met. They face trials and those like you to make sure I stay alive. _They _haven't given up on me, and I sure as hell will not succumb to bastards like you just because life is too _hard._" The boy swayed dangerously as he changed the position of the sword. " If I end up dying, it won't be because I failed them." His eyes glimmered, both from the pain of the wound and from resolve. " Try and kill me."

Seishiro had seen enough. He was deeply moved by the boy's courage, and though the boy stood in his way of getting the cards (that hand of his must be made of iron) before the other sorcerer could attack the child, he swept in from behind, wrapping his cloak around the child, and moved both of them away from the street.

Snarling in anger, Forrest spun around to look for where they went. He could not find them. His eyes landed on the Russian sorcerer, now dead.

" I'll have him yet," Forrest hissed, after staring in bewilderment at the testimony to how hard the boy is to capture. " A little tenacity will not stop me."


	18. Chapter 18

The Key

Chapter 18

Oblivious to her friend's plight, Sakura spent the evening cooking, and it was not until Kero found no one at home and no one at school that they realized something was wrong.

Syaoran had no cell phone; they really should have bought him one but never got around to it. Now, with no magical signature, Sakura was unable to trace him.

" I never should have called you away." The girl lamented. Kero patted her on the shoulder, but he was very anxious too.

" Calm down, Sakura. Let's see if the cards have anything to say."

The cards had nothing to say. However, Yue swiftly took advantage of Touya's magic and tried to look for answers elsewhere.

" He's with a sorcerer." Nadeshiko had come after a long wait, and she had to go back to find some answers. Yue had pretty much attacked her each time she appeared, and though a little annoyed the second time around, she bore his questions with unearthly patience. At the moment she reclined against the door of their dorm. Touya watched the exchange with some anxiety; he had never experienced watching someone else talk to his mother without him knowing what his mother was saying.

" A sorcerer?" Yue felt the cold fingers of dread grip him. " Is he still alive?"

" Apparently this sorcerer is not interested in any key. He's chasing this person called…Subaru? He comes from another dimension. Every dimension has him affiliated with Subaru somehow, but this one was the only one who decided to interact with the Dimension Witch and traverse realms to find Sakura's Cards."

" So he's after her cards?" Yue was not sure if he felt much better about this. " What is he doing with Li, then?"

" I do not know."

There was something else Yue was worried about. " Why is he holding Li then, if he's not after the Key? Is he trying to get the kid to tell him something?"

" I do not know." Nadeshiko emphasized. " I do not even know where he is at the moment. I just know what happened. We are not omniscient of the living, Yue-san."

Yue looked at Touya, distraught. " What am I going to do?"

oO

The stress of dematerialization and materialization was too much for the boy. He had instantly passed out, which, in the long run, was good for Seishiro because he really did not want to deal with the boy's temper.

" He called himself Suzuki Akira." Seishiro told the Dimension Witch, Yuko, who was speaking to him through the mirror on the wall. She was so known because individuals from all dimensions, in times of distress, seek her for aid. Her rules were that she demands a payment as valuable as her services from the person, which made her both disliked by many and well-known, as these payments fuel her magic and enable her to accomplish great deeds. Seishiro himself did not request anything from Yuko, but as the two were friends in the past, found it safe to seek her counsel. " But the sorcerers called him _Li Zhineng._"

" His real name is Li Zhineng." Yuko replied. She rarely asks for payment when it came to information, because information, for her, was incredibly easy to obtain. It was another reason why Seishiro contacted her; not only would she be likely to know what he was dealing with, she would freely give it to him if need be. " He was often called Li Syaoran. In fact, he was supposed to be Li Syaoran, with magical abilities and the eventual partner of the Card Mistress."

" So? What happened?"

Yuko proceeded to explain the history of the Key.

" The Key," She told Seishiro, " Ended up being a fragment piece of a soul that can tag along onto any real soul and merge with it for one lifetime. It separates at death and merges with the next best soul that is about to enter life, and in doing so, merges all the soul hosts into one dimension. It is only known that it tags on human souls, because between its creation and its discovery on the one Li Syaoran, the Key traversed in other dimensions a total of three times. Twice, it was killed by other mortals and immortals in order to unlock the greatest ten Secrets. Once, the host committed suicide. It is unknown how many times the Key has been reborn, but for the three times it was identified, it has been found in completely different dimensions. Li Syaoran is the first host of the world from which it was created, and there are no other Li Syaoran's in any other dimension."

" So the Key changed his destiny, and erased all other versions of him."

" It changed more than just his destiny or other versions. This world's Kinomoto Sakura still ended up being Card Mistress, but her path became more difficult without Li to help her. As a result, she retained her purity and goodness, but became more cunning and resourceful. You will not find an easy foe in her."

" To be sure." Seishiro muttered, wrapping the child's head wound with a bandage, " If it was necessary for such a child to help her get the cards, it could not have been an easy task. He managed to defend against pretty much all of us, even kill a very strong sorcerer, with this head wound you see here, and no magic, save the magic of my sword, which he had needed to fight me to get."

" Why did you save him?" Yuko asked, mildly curious.

Seishiro regarded the boy. He looked small and pitiable now, vulnerable and in need of protection. He wondered too, why he saved him. He had stayed because he was interested in what would happen, but what ended up happening surprised him beyond belief. The only time he had been so surprised was when he met Subaru…but no doubt, this child, in that brief yet terrible moment of combat, had gained his respect and admiration. That this boy was willing to struggle, to suffer, for the sake of others, so that their sweat and their tears and their suffering would not be in vain, even though the easier, less painful road was within reach, moved him in a way Seishiro could not describe. This child had no reason of his own to keep living. He had lost everyone he loved. And yet, he was willing to give himself a reason not to fail; he will not fail others who went before him, or those who are with him now. How to explain all of this to the witch, to someone who never did anything for free, who never suffered without giving herself a chance to know its end? Li had no way of knowing if his struggle will prove worthwhile. Yuko never had that challenge. And, neither did Seishiro. It made the sorcerer wonder if, when the time comes and he lost sight of what it means to go on, if he would remember those who struggled for him and face the future bravely, as this child had done. Will he have the strength and will that this boy has, if ever he should lose sight of his goal?

" He is someone worth protecting." Seishiro replied at last, after a long deliberation. " What do you think?"

" I asked because had his fate not been change by the Key," Yuko smiled, " You would have found him both a dangerous foe and a powerful friend."

" What do you mean?" Seishiro asked, curious.

" Supposedly," Yuko looked out, " Li Syaoran was not to be as powerful as his partner, the Card Mistress. You were able to defeat the Card Mistress, but you still were not able to defeat Li Syaoran."

" I am not surprised." Seishiro said truthfully. " I am pretty sure he broke my ribs with an open hand. I cannot imagine what this boy could do if he had magic, even a little bit." He studied the child's face. " I should kill you now." He said thoughtfully. " No doubt you will make my life very complicated, especially as I still need your friend's magic."

" If you do kill him," Yuko replied, " You have the option of forcing him to unlock the crystals first. The power and knowledge in there is worth much more than any Card Mistress's cards."

_It would be a shame._ Seishiro thought. He had no qualms about killing children, but Li was not just any child. " I should." He remarked, but did nothing.

" Well," Yuko was apparently sitting, as she stood up then. " Make up your mind, Seishiro. Time does not wait."

Time could wait for the child to wake up, Seishiro decided, and so he waited. The boy had a concussion, but nothing some magic and a little healing would not cure. He really should kill the child right now, whether or not he gets the crystals. He really had nothing to lose by killing the boy. He did not need a good friend. He needed to get rid of as many dangerous foes as possible.

Like the stubborn waif he was, the boy woke up hours later, much earlier than he was supposed to. He could not speak at first, paling and starting to heave. Seishiro brought a bucket and supported the boy's forehead as the sickness came and went. He helped the boy recline back.

Though exhausted, the boy kept his glazed eyes open, staring at Seishiro nervously, though unfocused. Seishiro emptied out the bucket and came back, expecting the boy to pass out, but the child had a lot more will than that.

" You do not eat much, do you?" Seishiro noted.

The mention of food seemed to make Li sick again, but he did not make any motion this time.

" You should get some rest." Seishiro said after a pause. It was obvious the boy was too weak to talk at this point, so there was really no reason to keep him awake. When the child stubbornly refused to close his eyes, Seishiro tried a sleeping spell. It did not work.

" I suppose it is the Key shard lodged in you that is making you immune." Seishiro muttered, half to himself. He knelt by the child. " You bled a lot from your head. It was not a light injury. You are not in any danger now; I fixed it up for you, but the rest of it is up to you."

The boy blinked, eyes wavering, but still upon him. Seishiro knew what he was trying to say.

" We must talk later." Seishiro rose. " Rest. No harm will come to you."

After a long stubborn hesitation, the boy finally gave in to his exhaustion.

oO

An entire day had passed, and no sign of either the extra-dimensional sorcerer, or his charge. Yue was beside himself with panic, having cancelled all events with Yukito's friends in favor of flying around Japan. Finally, as night fell, he returned to the rooftop of the dorm, where Touya waited for him with the familiar mug and canister of boiled tea.

" I should have stayed." Yue shook his head as he landed. " Pleaded a year off. What is college compared to someone's life?"

" There is no way you could have known."

" Of course I should have known." Yue snapped. " What were we doing, other than trying to prevent him from being taken? And he was taken from right when Kero leaves him. If I had been there, this would not have happened!"

" Yue-san, calm down." Touya urged quietly. " Think rationally here. Maybe the kid's not even in danger at the moment."

" Oh I would like to be so optimistic." Yue whirled away in disgust. " Why did the sorcerer not let him go? A whole day has passed with no sign of him."

" But Oka-san apparently said he's after the cards, not after the Key."

" And who knows what the sorcerer might do to get information." Yue paced around the rooftop. " Kami-sama, I failed him."

Touya, being the brother of the Card Mistress, decided not to point out Yue had completely ignored the possibility that Syaoran might have opened up and shared some secrets already, at which point they should probably be less worried about Syaoran and more worried about Sakura. He had a feeling such an observation would not be appreciated either way.

" Look, don't say that." Touya took Yue's arm. " For all you know, you haven't failed anyone yet. Sit down, take a few deep breaths, and see if Oka-san learned anything further."

But Nadeshiko did not answer Yue's summons.

" Calm down." Touya urged. " You're no use to anyone like this."

Yue took a deep breath and sagged. " He cannot be dead already." He turned to Touya desperately. " Right? So long as he is still alive, there is still hope, and he is no use to anyone dead. Otherwise the Key would have been used already, if the trick is to kill him."

" Iie." Touya replied morbidly. " He is probably not dead yet."

Yue found himself thinking, blindly, without even knowing what was going through his own mind, that he did not care if Syaoran returned missing an arm or missing a leg or completely raving mad—so long as Syaoran is still breathing, he wanted him back.

oO

The boy was terrified, and Seishiro did not waste his time with that. He had some issues of his own.

" Now we have a problem." He told Li. " I need the cards from the Card Mistress."

Li was not sure how this was a problem for Seishiro. " What do you need them for?" He asked.

" I need to kill someone." Seishiro replied.

Li folded his hands. " What do you want with me?"

Seishiro inclined his head. " You can get them for me." He said thoughtfully.

The child laughed bitterly. " You're joking, right? I'm not stealing her cards for you."

" That, therefore, is my problem." Seishiro folded his arms.

Li, confused, stared back at him. There was no way the child could know he had moved Seishiro the way no one else had, not even Subaru.

" How about this." Seishiro bent down to Li's level. " You bring me the cards, I resolve this issue you have with the other sorcerers."

" How?" Li frowned.

" I can take you away from this world." Seishiro replied. " To places where no one knows what you are. You can start a new life."

" If I give you her cards?" Li remarked dryly. His jaws tightened. " You can go to hell."

" Too late." Seishiro replied calmly. He had expected no other answer. " I find myself reluctant to kill you. Especially after all that hard work patching you together."

Li turned his face away.

" Well, I will get those cards, one way or another." Seishiro stood. " I can see I am not changing your mind on this, so I will not waste my breath. How about we let her decide, hm?"

Without warning, the boy had him by the collar. Seishiro was dumbfounded by how quickly the boy had moved, and the strength of the grip.

" How are your ribs?" Li asked simply. He let the man go.

As Seishiro adjusted his collar, the boy spat, " Don't think just because I'm trapped here I can't fix you."

Amused, Seishiro smiled in pleasure, which infuriated the boy further.

" I can believe that. You managed to kill someone with that head wound. Did you know?"

No, the boy did not know, and the horror spreading across the boy's face was testimony to that. The boy did not dare ask Seishiro if he was telling the truth. _Hm. That is interesting. _It showed the boy had brains. After all, Li had no way of knowing what Seishiro's intentions were, whether Seishiro was testing him, or playing with him, and whether Seishiro was trying to find his weaknesses.

" How about we make a deal." Seishiro knelt by Li's side again. " I will get the cards. But I will not fight you. Understand?"

" What are you talking about?"

" Meaning, if you are present and I must fight you to get the cards, I will back off. For the moment."

Glaring at him distrustfully, Li demanded, " What's in it for you?"

" Challenge." Seishiro replied. " And, your word that if I do manage to get the cards, you belong to me."

It did not take a magician to sense the fear welling up at those words. He saw the boy consider his options carefully.

" What do you want with me?" Li asked quietly, subdued now. " You want the crystals?"

" Iie."

" What then?"

" Do you agree to it or not?"

Li was silent for the moment. " What if you don't get the cards?" He asked. " When do you consider the game over?"

Seishiro smiled. " You ought to know, Li Zhineng. The game is over for me when it is over for you."

Another silence.

" You will let me go now?" He asked after a while.

" Iie." Seishiro shook his head. " You are still gravely injured. I will let you go when you have recovered."

Li stared at him for a while. There was something very soft about his eyes, Seishiro realized. Even when they glare, it was soft, like flame. The child regarded him for a while, and then closed his eyes. " I guess I don't have much of a choice."

Seishiro had to say he was rather delighted with this boy. He could believe Yuko when she said they had been friends. Li's personality was in perfect accord with his tastes.

" Do not fail her, Li Zhineng." Seishiro could not resist taunting a little. " After all she has done for you."

The boy glared at him. Seishiro laughed, and left the room so the boy could rest properly. Well, as properly as the child would allow himself.

oO

Syaoran, to his credit, did use this opportunity to fall asleep naturally, and as he slept Yuko opened the mirror to look upon the boy that had caused all the excitement.

_Li Syaoran, the Key. _She mused. How different he seems now. He had suffered much more in this childhood than he would have in an alternate life. There was a dignity about him that was different than it could have been. _Trials only make him stronger. _

But only in spirit. Physically, the child was in poor health. In terror of his new guardian's true form, Syaoran had endeavored to slowly punish himself, and with no true consolation over his family's demise, Syaoran had no one else to blame.

He was a tough child. It would be a while before his body succumbs, but Yuko could see it happening, gradually.

Sometime while she was musing, the boy woke. He opened his eyes and stared at the mirror, wondering for a moment if it was just a painting.

" Who are you?" He finally asked, when he saw Yuko blink. His fists curled on the blankets nervously.

Yuko tilted her head. " They call me Ichihara Yuko." She smiled. " I see you have wakened."

" Ichihara Yuko?" Syaoran frowned a little. He remembered stories, remembered his mother pondering whether she should go to Ichihara Yuko with the wish that her son had magic, but she had been afraid of losing what she did have; something Syaoran did not really understand. He did know that this witch demands payment for every interference, and apparently this sorceress had powers beyond belief. Another one of those all-powerful magicians.

Having lived all his life scorned by her kind, Syaoran turned away from her in relative disinterest. He found it hard to believe _she _would want the crystals. She had everything else already.

Intrigued by his reaction, Yuko inquired, " You have heard of me?"

" Who hasn't?" Syaoran turned his head back to her again. " Any well-learned sorcerer knows about the Dimension Witch. But you probably know that already. I don't suppose you know what Sakurazaka wants with me."

" What makes you think he wants anything with you?" Yuko asked pleasantly.

" Seems like everyone wants something with me." Syaoran muttered.

Sensing, as she always did, a fervent wish burrowing through, Yuko smiled. " It is somewhat of a pity." She said. " You are very young to go through such trials."

" You're trying to get me to wish for something." Syaoran knew from her tone of voice. He looked up at the ceiling. " I would. But I'm tired of always having to ask everyone else for things. I doubt, even if at one point you had to ask for others to help you, you remember what it feels like to be completely helpless, always having to depend on others."

Yuko shifted a little at this.

" I know a lot of people like you." Syaoran was still not looking at her. He was lost in the past, back when he was still looked down upon for having no magic. Magic had been the Li clan's purpose. It was the basis of their reputation, their power, their heritage. " They were always ashamed of me, and every time I had to ask them for help, I grow more ashamed of myself." He then looked at her. " They would never help, because I never had anything to offer." He shrugged. " And now I have everything to offer, but there are so few who would help me without asking anything in return, and I can accept no other kind. I guess I learned that the only people worth being grateful to are the people who don't ask for anything back." He looked at her piercingly. " Wouldn't you agree?"

Yuko had been sitting. She leaned back a little and was very quiet.

" So," Syaoran ended, " I think I'll ride this one out, wherever it takes me."

" You could spare a lot of people pain." Yuko pointed out, but she knew Syaoran had anything but a weak personality.

" Someone has to bear the Key." Syaoran replied. " Guess it might as well be me."

Yuko did not argue, her eyes warming as she gazed at the boy's thin form.

" Can you tell me what Sakurazaka wants from _me_?" Syaoran turned to her. " He could just kill me even if he wanted to have the cards."

" Life is precious," Yuko replied. " And the hearts of men are dynamic. What touches them, they long to keep. Not all things are done with motive. Rest, young one. You are with strange friends, but friends they are."

Syaoran closed his eyes at her bidding, not entirely understanding what she meant. He fell asleep, lulled into slumber by the wound's healing. Yuko regarded him for a while before closing the connection.


	19. Chapter 19

The Key

Chapter 19

Sakura was not even sure how she managed to fall asleep, but fall asleep she had, because she was dreaming about the alternate reality again. This time they were both older; Syaoran had grown into a tall, handsome man. He was pacing back and forth with a stethoscope around his neck in a hospital waiting room, although there were no other indications that he was a doctor. Dream Sakura was sitting down, staring at him. There was no one else in the room; not even a receptionist. It seemed it was very late at night, as the windows reflected the room instead of showing the outdoors.

" He got himself into this." Syaoran was saying. " When he created Watanuki."

" You know it started before that." Dream Sakura replied. " Weren't you always the one to tell him that nothing happens by coincidence?"

" Doesn't mean we all don't have a choice." Syaoran sighed. " Although now that he wrote a great destiny for himself, however tough it gets, I suppose we'll have to go along with it."

Whoever this 'he' was, it seemed that both Dream Sakura and Syaoran cared about him, because Dream Sakura then dropped her face into her hands, morose. The two of them remained still for a while.

" Yuko would not harm him." Dream Sakura said. " She promised you."

" It was a strange promise." Syaoran shook his head. " She is neutral. She never picked or chose whose wishes she granted. It was always, can you afford it? Can you afford this can you afford that–it was unbelievably funny. And she promised it for _my _sake, not even his. I don't get it."

" They seem to respect you, a lot." Dream Sakura told Syaoran. " And you had a lot to offer. She requested it from _me. _Surely you had things just as priceless as the wand."

" Which is why I'm worried." Syaoran looked at her. " See, I don't get it. I never even met the Dimension Witch before. I never fulfilled _her _wishes, at least. Yet there she was. ' Li-sama, you have my word; I will never grant a wish that will bring your son to harm.'"

" At this rate though, we take whatever we can get. There is no use worrying about that."

" Iie." Syaoran shook his head, grabbing one end of his stethoscope. " I have met powerful sorcerers like her. They manage to twist everything around in the strangest ways. Sometimes I think they are half nuts." He looked down, dragging the stethoscope from his neck.

" Did she ask for anything in return for keeping this promise?"

" Iie. She just said," Syaoran frowned, " She just said she will ensure he walks the best ultimate path…so long as he proves he is my son." Syaoran stared at Sakura. " What on earth is that supposed to mean?"

" I never slept with anyone else." Dream Sakura instantly said. Then, with a dry voice, she added, " He's the splitting image of you. The times I lamented how he has none of _my _traits–"

" I doubt his bloodline is in question here," Syaoran broke her off, " But I don't know what else is in question. Magic?"

" You have a knack for making people respect you." Dream Sakura pointed out. " Maybe she's referring to your sense of honor and bravery. In which case, you ought to trust him."

" Oh I trust him alright." Syaoran hissed. " I just don't trust _her. _She's a wily one, and doesn't act in everyone's best interests."

" But she promised to act in his, and in yours, effectively. Why would she promise that, and word it so distinctly, if she didn't mean it?"

Syaoran sighed. " There's something else that is troubling me." He confessed to Dream Sakura.

" Sit down." Dream Sakura said, and patted the seat next to her. " What is it?"

" Yuko told me something else." Syaoran sat down and leaned forward on his elbows. Dream Sakura wrapped her arms around him, pulling him to lean on her a little bit. " She said if things go awry, and destiny is too whimsical, she told me to search for the Key, and she will grant me that power to traverse the dimensions in exchange for saving destiny."

" Nani?" Dream Sakura blinked. " That is bizarre. What on earth did she mean?"

Syaoran shook his head. " The Key is something constructed to protect the ten crystals of Knowledge." He went on to explain what Sakura already knew, though Dream Sakura listened intently. " What form it takes, and where it is, no one knows, and the ten sorcerers left us with only one way to use the Key, on the odd chance that we find it."

" Which is?"

" _The soul flies when the heart is reached_." Syaoran recited after some thought. " That one everyone knows. I know the next one: _What lock unlocks, what unlock locks_. That one puzzled everyone. But the rest I have not heard before; _What greatest force and tears beseeched, So answers therein."_

Sakura blinked. " How is that useful at all?" Dream Sakura asked.

" I have no idea." Syaoran shook his head. " She said if anything went wrong, she'll tell me, and send me to look for the Key, and in order to use it I have to solve this riddle."

" Alright? So she gave you some backup options? What's wrong with that?"

" What's wrong is that she even gave this to me." Syaoran told her. " Because the ten sorcerers created layer after layer of protection _against _knowledge. To even know _this_ brings us closer than they could ever want into using the Key. And using the Key was never meant to be." He frowned. " I wonder what she's planning. I have a feeling our son is in big trouble."

Suddenly, the dream seemed to shift, and all of the sudden Syaoran no longer had an aura. He was still older, suggesting this was sometime in the future, which instantly gave Sakura hope because it might mean he survives the year. He was talking to a woman through a mirror in the bathroom. This time, Dream Sakura was not there.

" You sure pick your places, Yuko-san." Syaoran was grinning. " I could have been, you know," He chuckled. " Something you need?"

" Li-sama," Yuko bowed. " I do have a request."

" Oh dear." Syaoran frowned. " What could I possibly do that you can't?"

Yuko smiled wryly. " Plenty, Li-sama. I require your assistance in the matters of one Fei Wong Reed."

" Fei Wong Reed?" Syaoran frowned. " He wouldn't happen to be from another dimension than mine, would he?"

" He is. He is seeking to gratify his greatest wish by targeting a certain princess. I was hoping you could hold something of hers for me."

" This is going to get me killed, isn't it?"

" Not if I can help it." Yuko shook her head, " But given the protection you have, I doubt you would need my help."

" Alright. Why do you look so wary?"

" Sakura! Answer the phone! It's your brother!" Kero's voice suddenly broke into the dream.

oO

Touya was the one that found Li, wandering around the corner of the campus block, completely lost. The boy had no money and had no way of knowing where he was without looking suspicious.

" What happened to you?" The older boy demanded, hurriedly bringing him to their dorm. " We were looking everywhere for you!"

" There was this guy, called himself Sakurazaka Seishiro." Syaoran told Touya, frightened. " He was after Sakura-san's cards, wanted to brainwash me into getting them. I tried to act the part. I guess I wasn't good. And then these other sorcerers came." Syaoran grabbed his face in distress, as Touya led him to sit down in one of the chairs in the room.

" How did you get out?" Touya asked in concern. " Are you alright? Why are you wearing a bandage around your head? Is it safe for me to take a look at it?"

" I don't know." Syaoran grabbed his face again.

" Easy there, kid." Touya hushed him. " Look, Yukito is going to come back from shopping soon. You are _so _lucky I did not go with him today; tell me everything slowly–we don't have much food here but let me see if I can fix something up for you, alright? I'll be right back–" the kitchens were downstairs, so Touya had to leave Syaoran alone in the room for a bit. " You stay put, alright? Just stay put, I'll be back in about five minutes."

Yukito ended up arriving just as Touya left the room, so the two of them came back together.

" He was wandering around Tokyo." Touya was telling a breathless Yukito. " I don't know how long."

The first thing Yukito did was grab Syaoran and pull him close. " Are you alright? You are alright?" He asked, before suddenly seizing Syaoran by the arms. " You thoughtless boy! What were you doing?"

Syaoran was speechless. Touya, equally amazed by Yukito's sudden aggression, pulled Yukito away from Syaoran. " Hey, cool off, buddy." He stared at his friend. " This wasn't the kid's fault."

Syaoran, who had been grabbing his face to avoid crying, finally started sobbing. Touya turned to Syaoran and sighed. " Oh brother." The older boy muttered, before taking Syaoran by the shoulders. " Easy, alright, little guy? Yu-ki here is just missing a few wires. We know it's not your fault. And you," He glared at his friend, " I don't know if it was you or Yue that just did that, but kid's been through hell already. For god's sake cut him some slack!"

As if he never snapped at Syaoran at all, Yukito pushed Touya forcibly out of the way. " He did not hurt you? This sorcerer person? You're all fine? What's wrong with your head?" He then pulled Syaoran, still sobbing, into a hug, and started laughing like a lunatic. " You're real, right? You're alive?"

Syaoran calmed down a little at this, realizing that Yukito had been through his own version of torment during this period, and hugged the other boy back.

" Thank god, thank god," Yukito squeezed the child to him. " How did you get hurt?" He looked at Syaoran again.

After assuring himself that besides the obvious head wound Syaoran was fine, Yukito asked Syaoran how he escaped, while carefully unwrapping the bandage.

" The sorcerer magically healed him." Yukito noted. " It's healing faster than normal. What happened? What did you get hit with?"

" I don't know." Syaoran honestly did not remember. " It was some spell. I went through it."

Yukito was horrified. " What the hell happened?"

He was so aghast and relieved at the same time he did not even notice Syaoran's boniness. And when Syaoran finished relating the tale, he pulled the child to an embrace and Yue did not even protest.

" What am I supposed to do?" Syaoran asked nervously, face still pressed against Yukito's shoulder. " We have to warn Sakura."

" Well if this guy couldn't even beat Li-san, does Sakura really have that much to worry about?" Touya asked.

" Iie. Nadeshiko said earlier that he was a powerful sorcerer." Yukito looked at Syaoran. " You sure the deal was that he would surrender as long as he would have to fight you?"

Syaoran nodded. " I don't think he meant it though. I think he was just playing cat and mouse."

" He took a lot of effort playing this cat and mouse, Li-san." Yukito turned to Touya, who shrugged.

" How did you get out of this one?" Yukito asked Syaoran. Syaoran had not told him about how he killed a sorcerer. The boy had no intention of doing so, and so the guardian had no way of knowing what Syaoran did to impress his captor so much he was willing to release the boy rather than kill him.

They could find nothing out of the ordinary, however, and were forced to resign to accepting Syaoran was back and none the worse for wear.

" Yue will take you home tonight." Yukito held Syaoran's shoulder. " You sure he didn't do anything to you?"

" I don't feel anything." Syaoran said morosely. " I was unconscious for a while."

Yukito nodded, knowing there was nothing else to be done.

oO

Sakura was just relieved Syaoran was okay.

" I'm not afraid of people out to get my cards." Sakura assured Syaoran. " Next time come to me, okay? It's not worth fighting them over. If someone wants you to tell them anything about my cards, tell them. I'll handle from there."

" You're kidding, right?" Syaoran exclaimed in disbelief. " I'm not luring you to any trap!"

Dismayed, Syaoran found himself confessing to Sakura what he could not confess to Yue.

" You sure?" Sakura asked, slightly skeptical, but that was reasonable because what Syaoran had described was impossible.

" I don't know." Syaoran replied. " All I knew was, I gave them trouble. They couldn't get me easily enough. I think…I think I might have stabbed him. I don't know."

Sakura did not know how to respond to this.

" It's just," Syaoran sighed, " If I can help you at all…I will. Don't try to stop me."

" But Akira-chan…I don't want you to get hurt." Sakura touched his arm.

" I'll try not to be." Syaoran summoned a smile for her. " But you be careful, alright, Sakura-san?"

Sakura nodded. She was thinking about her dreams, about how happy Syaoran could potentially have been. He had been robbed of that life, but she recognized the same will and strength. All of the sudden, what Syaoran described was not so impossible after all. Did not that woman in the mirror call him " Li-sama", after all? He must have something.

It was still horrifying, however. " I'm not calling Kero-chan away again." She told him. " Next time I need his help with anything, I'm calling you over as well."

Syaoran wanted to know what she called the guardian in for, but was too embarrassed to ask. In the grand scheme of things, he was back, still hunted, but ironically by one less, because of his own efforts. The knowledge comforted him a little. Somehow, he was able to defend himself, and even make a bargain to help someone he was so indebted to. Perhaps Li Zhineng was not so useless after all.

oO

Everything had happened over the weekend, so when Monday came around no one else realized anything was wrong, other than Syaoran's bandaged head, which had healed enough that he could have left it off, but the wound marks would require some explaining, so he left it on. Everyone struggled a little to pretend things were normal, and succeeded for the most part, especially Syaoran, who used his supposed ill mother as an excuse for being even quieter than usual. He was weakened enough that he had to sit on the side during soccer practice after falling over for no reason on the field, and was given the next two days off. However, he continued to actively work in math team. The competition was approaching, and things were getting very busy.

Syaoran had a feeling Seishiro was going to employ some dirty trick in order to get Sakura's cards. He was not sure if Seishiro was more powerful than Sakura, but he had a feeling just because Sakura might be more powerful, that did not mean she was a match for him. He warned her to be careful, and in response, Sakura decided to Change her book and its contents into a single bracelet. For her part, she was also anxious about Syaoran, afraid that Seishiro might have some hold over him, and became somewhat of a mother hen to him, going so far as to make him stay over whenever she had a bad feeling. She tried to locate Seishiro herself, which did not work because Seishiro somehow cloaked himself from any spell she used to try to track him.

Yue was incredibly embarrassed by how he lost his composure. His mood became so black that even Yukito was more irritable than usual. It was so bad that even though Yukito _must _call Syaoran every night for the sake of his own sanity, he was incredibly short with the boy, so much so that even Touya could tell, blocked as he was by the fact that Syaoran was miles away and was communicating through Yukito's receiver, that the boy was getting a little bit frightened of Yukito's temper.

" Kami-sama," He said to Yukito after a week passed this way, " Get a hold of yourself, will you? You're going to drive the kid insane!"

" What on earth are you talking about?" Yukito protested, annoyed.

" Well, in case you haven't noticed, you were sort of snapping at the kid like he did something wrong. What's gotten into you lately?"

" I don't know." Yukito replied, sounding difficult. " I think it's stress."

They both knew it was not the real reason, but Touya could not think of any way to get Yue to confide in him, and the topic was dropped.

As for Forrest Mir, this time it was the boy's turn to be nervous. He paced around the room after Forrest related what had happened, while Forrest to recline on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

" It must be the Key." The boy insisted. " It must be. There is no way any mortal could do that."

" I doubt it." Forrest replied. " He seemed in earnest."

" So?!"

" So," Forrest drew dark shadows in the ceiling as he spoke, " It may be his pure will that pulled him through. I have heard such stories."

" But he was bleeding, as you said."

" So he was."

" This can't be right." The boy folded his arms in frustration, scowling. " This simply cannot be."

" Are you done disclaiming this, Mar?" Forrest asked flatly. " Just because you could not fight with your head wound, does not mean the Key is as weak as you were."

" Ha!" Mar sneered at Forrest. " Well, I suppose, to each his own. Whoever that sorcerer was, was no Hiirigaziwa."

" Indeed." Forrest replied. " But it goes to show. Even when injured, the boy is capable of his own feats."

" Hence the issue." Mar sighed. " So what is the plan now?"

" I don't know." Forrest telekinetically summoned his sword from the wall to his hand. " Study the new sorcerer, I suppose. Perhaps if we get close to this new other-dimensional sorcerer, we get closer to getting our hands on the Key."

" Assuming this new Sakurazaka did in fact lay claim to the boy. No one in their right mind would let the Key free after obtaining him."

" Perhaps Sakurazaka knows Li Zhineng is the Key."

" Impossible. By now he would have known, even if he didn't before." Mar looked at Forrest. " Well? Are you going to just sit there?"

With a heave, Forrest sat up. " You are suddenly very anxious, my young friend." He noted.

" You are suddenly not." Mar returned.

Forrest shrugged. " Having seen for myself just how much trouble the boy could give, I admit it does set my mind at ease somewhat."

" He still stands no chance if they ally against him."

" He might die then."

" Or he might get captured before he dies." Mar warned. " You said yourself. The boy has no intention of dying from his own doing."

Nodding, somber now, Forrest got up. " I will have a talk with that Sakurazaka." He told Mar. " I should be back soon."

" Take your time." Mar replied.

Forrest disappeared in a swirl of mist.

Syaoran was not sure how Seishiro discovered the bracelet _was _the book; he only knew that on Friday after school, when Syaoran had stayed behind to chat with Lebedeva, Seishiro attacked Sakura. Syaoran did not see what happened. He only saw Sakura standing as if stunned, and Seishiro taking her hand calmly.

Scared that Seishiro might rush off before Syaoran had a chance to reach them, he hurried picked up a stone and threw it at the man's head. Seishiro stumbled to the side as Syaoran reached Sakura. He grabbed her arms. " Sakura-san, wake up!" He checked her bracelet, then turned to Seishiro, who had recovered. The two eyed each other, Syaoran ready to defend Sakura, Seishiro merely considering.

" I made a promise to you." Seishiro smiled, amused.

" You're a sneaky bastard." Syaoran retorted.

Seishiro inclined his head, still smiling, and disappeared.

Sakura was under a spell. Syaoran shook her again. " Sakura-san?"

" Hoe?" Sakura groaned, blinking. She took a moment to register her surroundings. Then she looked at her bracelet.

" He got me didn't he." She realized. " Are you alright?"

Syaoran frowned, puzzled. " He didn't attack me." He let her go.

" He promised he wouldn't."

" Didn't mean he would honor that promise."

" Well, I'm glad that he did." Sakura rubbed her head, wondering what she should do. " I guess it's the mind spells I'll have to watch out for."

oO

Syaoran, after analyzing what the cards did, came up with a clever plan to foil anything Seishiro came up with.

" If you had to get both the same way at the same time," He held up Sakura's Twin Card, " That means that Seishiro would have to steal both the same way at the same time. Would be a pretty hard feat, if he didn't know what he's looking for."

" You're right." Sakura grinned. She was not surprised Syaoran was good at coming up with tricks; in her dreams Syaoran came up with many great ideas, with both his own spells and hers. She wasted no time getting to work making a duplicate of the Book bracelet. Instead of wearing it on his hand, Syaoran decided to keep it in his pocket, where it was less easy to get. He had not told Sakura the other end of the deal; that if Seishiro were ever to finally obtain Sakura's cards, Syaoran would 'belong' to him, whatever that meant. Syaoran did not really want to know. In any case, he had no intention of allowing Seishiro to get them.

In Tokyo, they caught the serial killer.

" So it wasn't the magic robe guy." Touya commented.

" Perhaps not." Yukito had to concede. But he was nervous about whoever captured Syaoran and brought him to Tokyo. " Sakurazaka Seishiro." He muttered.

" That name sounds familiar somehow." Touya said thoughtfully. " Maybe I met this world's version of him."

Yukito frowned, troubled.

Meanwhile, Syaoran had gone back to his studies. Nervous about Seishiro, and about everyone else, he dove into his studies like a man diving into hard liquor. November loomed, and Syaoran was cold, and had developed a consistent cough that no one appreciated, but it did not seem to get worse, at least until the competition.

The day of the competition was exciting. All the students in the math team, which included some fifth graders, were given the day off. That morning they all boarded the bus and sang songs on the way there. Some of the other students had to ride boats in order to arrive. They were herded, half dazed, all sleepy, into a tall building. Naoko chattered with him along the way, while Syaoran rubbed the Book bracelet as if wishing for a good-luck blessing. Some of the students studied last minute problems on the ride, and as they all gathered at their respective tables, some were still looking at the sheets. Syaoran looked around at all the strange, young faces, some so nervous they looked tired and dazed, others very alert and focused, as if preparing to enter war, and others just bored, because they have done this before and did not really care. Lebedeva wished everyone good luck, praised their work and told them she was proud of them no matter what. She gave Syaoran a pat on the shoulder and left the children to their own devices.

At Tomoeda Elementary Seishiro managed to steal the bracelet from Sakura, but the bracelet disappeared from his grip as soon as he left her and undid the spell. Repeated attempts did not differ in result; there was some spell he could not understand at work. So finally, at the end of the day, he hypnotized Sakura again and asked her what they did to the bracelet.

" Who came up with this idea?" Seishiro asked, impressed. " Never mind, I think–"

" Akira-chan."

" Li?" Seishiro grinned, thrilled now. " Haha. You're full of surprises, aren't you? Well, he is not here, and I cannot split in two, so I shall have to concede you won this round."

The hypnotized Sakura did not reply to this; she could not, after all. Seishiro canceled the spell and waited for her to wake up. As she came to herself, she looked at him with alarm, then suspicion.

" You're that Sakurazaka." She noted. Seishiro handed the bracelet back, and Sakura took it wordlessly.

" I underestimated your friend." Seishiro smiled. " I did not realize he was so clever."

Sakura refused to answer. " What do you want my cards for?"

" What, Li did not tell you?"

She glared at him. " If you were willing to tell him, you can tell me."

" Hm. You are right, I suppose. I need them to kill someone."

Sakura slipped the bracelet on in one frustrated motion. " Who are you trying to kill?"

Seishiro paused. " Someone who betrayed me."

Sakura hesitated for a moment. " What do you want with Akira?"

Seishiro smiled. " Nothing."

Sakura studied him. " You're not a very good liar. Or you're not trying. You're going to have to convince me, if you really want these cards. And I won't help you if you hurt Akira."

Seishiro smiled at the girl._ Here's another clever one._ " I have no intention of hurting your friend, Card Mistress."

" We'll see." The girl narrowed her eyes. " I need these cards to protect him, or else I would lend it to you, however dishonorable your purposes are, in exchange for leaving him alone. In fact, how about we make a deal. Akira is to stay in Tomoeda until the end of the year. By that time someone is to come and get him. If you protect him for that time, I will go kill whoever it was myself."

" You really dare?" Seishiro raised his eyebrows. " The act of killing is no minor thing, little one. It takes a certain heart to land that ruthless blow. I cannot have you backing out at the last minute."

Sakura actually had no intention of killing anyone; she was rapidly coming up with another plan, one that she will not reveal to this man if she could help it.

" You think I don't have what it takes?" She glared at him. " I do whatever it takes for Akira, as he apparently did whatever it took for me. Will you help him or not?"

Greatly entertained by this show of true friendship between the two, Seishiro murmured wistfully, " Even if I wanted to, I do not have a year. My target moves and Time is precious. If I do stay, I shall lose him."

" You are willing to stop and waste time trying to steal my cards." Sakura pointed out. " It's either wait a year, or get rid of all the threats now, within the time limit, but that is probably a little outlandish, even for someone like you."

" It is." Seishiro rose. He tried to erase her memory, but Sakura's shields, which had broken under Seishiro's earlier spells, did not give for this one. Further amused, Seishiro turned away from the girl. " I expect we shall meet again, shortly. Farewell, Card Mistress."

Very unhappy with the encounter, Sakura struggled to purge all the annoyed feelings of frustration out. She wanted to be ready to congratulate or console Syaoran; whichever was necessary by the time he returned.

oO

" One hundred thousand yen!" Syaoran was doing his best not to do a jig. " One hundred thousand yen! Split between ten of us! We each get ten thousand yen!"

Which was a lot, for an elementary school contest.

" Of course the school gets another one hundred thousand yen," Yamazaki told Sakura,

" And prestige." Naoko added. " It's all because of Akira-kun!"

" Well not entirely," Syaoran blushed. " But ten thousand yen! First thing I'm going to do, when Yukito-san gets home I'm going to make him tons of buns." He forgot he was not supposed to reveal anything about living with Tsukishiro, but no one suspected. " He likes buns right?" He asked Sakura.

" Uh, loves them." Sakura cleared her throat to remind Syaoran, who took the hint but was far too excited. " I'll make pork and beef and mushroom and bak choy and–" He went on, and then he remembered his mother was supposed to be alive, " And buy my Oka-san that necklace she saw on television,"

Yamazaki cocked an eyebrow. " You sure you have enough money for that, Akira-san?"

" I'm on a roll here," Syaoran grinned, " Let me have one, would you?" He was ecstatic. Here, only a few months in a new country with new friends, and he accomplished an achievement everyone appreciated. He really felt good about himself.

" Let the math geek have his roll." One of their classmates laughed. " He totally saved the day earlier."

They recounted the events of the competition.

" Way to go, Akira-chan!" Sakura grinned at Syaoran, truly happy for him. Her meeting with Seishiro temporarily forgotten, she suggested, " We should go celebrate."

" I have to get home." Naoko said. " Tell my parents the good news!"

" Me too." Syaoran said. " We can do something cool over the weekend, I think."

" Daijoubu desu wa!" Tomoyo chirped. " Sakura-chan! We need to plan…"


	20. Chapter 20

The Key

Chapter 20

They ended up spending a day during the weekend in the main city at an arcade. Yamazaki had to show Syaoran everything, and not for the first time inquired what Syaoran did to occupy his time in the past. Most studious children in Japan did not have time for much gaming, but usually they do manage to squeeze out some precious time in order to socialize and take their minds off schoolwork. Yamazaki thought it was ridiculous that Syaoran seemed to have had no social life before coming to Tomoeda. Naoko thought it was very endearing.

Syaoran, for his part, quickly became exhausted with everything, and developed a headache from all the bright lights and loud music. Unwilling to ruin the day for the rest, he tried to bear it, until the headache became a full grown migraine and he still ended up ruining the day by getting very sick.

From her dreams Sakura knew that Syaoran was much skinnier and weaker than he was supposed to be. She learned a lot of things about Syaoran from her dreams, but she did not discuss them very much, only confirming with Syaoran some facts she thought would be consistent, such as whether he liked peonies, and when Meiling's birthday was. Discretely, she ended the day by volunteering to take Syaoran home before Naoko could, and was able to convince him to head to the Kinomotos, where she and her father took care of him. It was difficult for Sakura to treat him normally when she knew in an alternate reality, she might be dating him, or waiting for him, depending on whether Syaoran was here or in Hong Kong.

" I was so different." She complained to Tomoyo the next day, when Syaoran had gone home. " Did you know how I passed the Final Judgment? I _sang. _Mizuki-san suddenly showed up, told us Clow knew I was the next Card Mistress already so Yue being judge was absolutely moot. Then she took a bell and told me to sing with her. I sang, and all of the sudden Windy was able to work on Yue and I did this whole friendship speech as if I were in some soap opera. That's how I became Card Mistress!"

" Huh…"

" And did you know how Akira-chan lost?" Sakura went on complaining, " He tried to use Time on Yue, but all of the sudden it didn't work. How the blazes is the Time Card under _Yue's _control? I didn't know that!"

" Er…I didn't know it either."

" And Kero-chan and Akira-chan keep calling each other names. Did you know that Li Meiling was the one that didn't have magic? She had magic in this lifetime. In the other one, though, she actually came over and said that she was his fiancé."

" That's a new one."

" But you know," Sakura finally sat down, " Strange as that life was…he was happier there. That I know for sure. He smiled a lot less, actually, and I don't remember him laughing, but he was never so sad."

Tomoyo patted her friend's shoulder.

" I was so naïve." Sakura grimaced. " I was such an idiot, in that world. But I'd rather be an idiot and have him happier, you know. Because he's…he's suffering. I know it."

oO

December brought snow.

Sakura did not tell Syaoran or Yukito about her meeting with Seishiro. Seishiro moved back to Tokyo where he began to watch her brother very closely. Touya, unaware that he was being stalked, continued his life the way he always had, while Yukito grew more and more nervous as finals neared.

Seishiro wanted to know the boy's habits. Unfortunately, because Touya was constantly indoors with a group of friends, it was hard to get close to the boy now as he had earlier. However, after some eavesdropping, the sorcerer learned that the boys were due to head back to Tomoeda in about a month.

This meant that Kinomoto and Tsukishiro would both be closer to the Card Mistress and the boy himself, who might very well throw himself in harm's way to protect them, but Seishiro was thinking of something else. The boys have to be in Tomoeda, but they also have to return, and before they do the dorm was going to be empty. No one was going to go in, save for maintenance, which is really no problem for Seishiro. He needed all of five minutes for his work to be done; once Tsukishiro and Kinomoto come back, a trap will be ready for them, and Seishiro will use them as leverage for the boy to give up the cards. It was even better than just focusing on one; he could kill one to prove his point, and the child will definitely not try his patience or good-will then.

Before the boys left, however, Seishiro encountered an unwelcome stranger on the roof of the building across the street from the dorm.

" I never thought I would find you here." Forrest said. " You have been sneaking around Tokyo for a while now, have you not? Ever since that boy."

Seishiro jerked at this. He had not expected Forrest nor did he sense the other sorcerer approach. He quickly covered up his surprise, however, with a calm smile.

" And what do I owe the pleasure of this visit to?" He asked.

" Odd place to be crouching in wait." Forrest walked around. " That is the Kinomoto's dorm?" He pointed at the building in front.

" Hai." Seishiro nodded. They were standing on the roof of the building across the street from the other dorm. Touya and Yukito could be seen at their respective desks; Touya was listening to an MP3, while Yukito was packing his bags.

" Why did you let him go?" Forrest asked. " You had him. The Key to ultimate power."

" The Key was not what I was looking for." Seishiro replied. " I wanted the Cards of the Card Mistress."

" Ah." Forrest folded his arms. " Perhaps we can work together."

" Oh?"

" I need to kill the Key." Forrest replied. " You need to get the cards. Help me, and I help you."

Seishiro paused at this. " Who are you?" He asked.

" My name is Forrest Mir."

" Forrest Mir." Seishiro frowned. " Why do you wish to kill the Key?"

" I am a guardian of the Key." Forrest replied. " A clan created to ensure the Key never falls into the wrong hands, or is revealed to anyone, for that matter. At the present stage, the only way to ensure that is to destroy the Key."

" You have an odd notion of what guardians do." Seishiro frowned deeper. " He is a child."

" So is she." Forrest replied. " You have no qualms about taking advantage of her."

" I have my own reasons for taking her cards." Seishiro replied darkly. " You, however, seem to be targeting the boy for your own convenience. I will not allow you to harm the boy."

Forrest's eyes flashed. " Really? You really wish to make this your affair?"

" The boy has promised himself to me if I can capture the cards from the Card Mistress." Seishiro drew his sword. " I will not allow you to make him break that promise."

" So you _are _after the boy." Forrest sneered, drawing his own sword. " I should have known…"

He lunged.

Forrest was a good swordsman, and though Seishiro could hold his own, when coupled with spells, the guardian of the Key was a formidable foe. After a few close calls on both sides, they leaped apart to recover a little.

" So what do you want her cards for?"

" To kill someone."

" Ah. You'll need her alive then."

" I know." Seishiro scowled. " What do you wish to accomplish by killing the boy?"

" Is it not obvious? If he is dead, no one can unlock the crystals."

" But you are a guardian. Guardians should protect, not destroy."

" I guard the secrets of the Key, not the Key itself." Forrest glared. " As for you, what do you want to do with the boy?"

" I happen to find the boy more invaluable than any secret crystals." Seishiro sneered. " Some of us value life more than a bunch of stones."

" You value life enough to steal the cards in order to kill someone." Forrest shot back. " How noble of you." He shot a spell, which Seishiro countered. The resulting blast nearly knocked Seishiro over the roof, and debris cut into his side. Below, the mortals started shouting, wondering what was going on.

Out of the dirt, Forrest suddenly appeared again, sword flaming and its tip headed straight for Seishiro's heart. Seishiro parried, rolled to the side swiftly, and shot a few more spells. Some hit–but Forrest, though he staggered, managed to cast a few spells of his own. Seishiro barely managed to duck the first, and the second one hit.

His own fall allowed him to duck the final blow. He swung his sword and it met flesh, but Forrest twisted out of the way and struck back. Both of their swords gleamed red when they finally parted again.

" I do not have time for this." Forrest spat.

_Neither do I. _Seishiro thought. He lowered his sword a little as Forrest lowered his.

" The Key must not be used." Forrest turned.

" I have no intention of using the Key." Seishiro replied. " I want Li, not the Key."

Forrest tilted his head, considering him. " What do you intend to do with a powerless child?"

_He is the strongest person I know. _" For the last time, I just need the Card Mistress's cards." Seishiro explained. " After I acquire those I plan on taking the child with me."

" To unlock the crystals, no doubt."

" Who cares about your blasted crystals!" Seishiro spat. " I said I wanted Li!"

" Why? What good is he to you?" Forrest frowned.

" He is far more useful to me alive than dead." Seishiro replied. " In case you haven't noticed, without magic, Li Zhineng gave you even more trouble than I did! Perhaps the secret to using the Key is through sheer will."

" This is supposed to convince me you do not intend to use the Key?" Forrest scowled. " I have no time for this, and we are evenly matched. We call this a draw for today, but I will take the Key and destroy it, with or without your help."

" And I will ensure the child survives your foolishness, with or without your help." Irked, Seishiro longed to strike at Forrest again, but that would only lead to another battle neither could win. " The boy has suffered enough."

" At least we agree on that." Forrest turned around and disappeared in a flare of robes. Seishiro cursed in his mind, wondering how a supposed protector of the Key could actually aim to destroy it.

_As if I did not have enough to do already…_

oO

Sakura knew she was dreaming again, because Syaoran suddenly had an aura in here. She had been dreaming for a while, this alternate reality where Syaoran was a sorcerer. It seemed somewhat odd. A lot of her dreams seemed to coincide with real days. This one, however, seemed to be sometime in the future, where both Sakura and Syaoran were adults, living in a considerably large house.

It was very odd. It seemed like they were married. In fact, Dream Sakura was for some reason thinking of a baby Syaoran. She kept calling the real Syaoran "Daran", which Tomoyo had come up with when…when what? It was Chinese for " Big Wolf". Why did Syaoran's name suddenly turn into Daran?

" Ack." Syaoran had just gotten home from work, and was very upset at one of his colleagues–a doctor, apparently, who did not do what was best for his patient in favor of following legal protocol. " They are all complete idiots! And I saw Sakurazaka again today."

Dream Sakura's mood dampened considerably. " Did he hurt you?" She asked.

" After I beat him last time?" Syaoran smirked, but it quickly faded to give way to a grimace. " He won't hurt me. He wanted to see how Syaoran was doing, though."

Syaoran? Referring to himself in third person?

" What does he want with _him?_" Dream Sakura cried. " Surely he does not hope that Syaoran could take care of his issues with what's his name, Subaru?"

" I don't know." Syaoran frowned. " I don't know what he wants. But he swore an oath of brotherhood with me, and he seems to be the type to honor such vows."

" I don't know, Daran." Dream Sakura shook her head. " I don't even know why you agreed to it."

" He was a good sorcerer, and a good fighter."

" Still not grounds for _brotherhood._" Dream Sakura shook her head. " And after stealing my cards too."

" He promised not to do that again."

" How much is his promise worth?"

" A lot." Syaoran shook his head. " Remember, Yingfa, he saved my life."

" Only because you saved his."

" At least he knows the meaning of debt and gratitude." Syaoran frowned. " Maybe not so much gratitude, but debt, at the very least. He still owes me one for getting rid of Subaru's vampire twin. I don't think he'll do anything to Syaoran. In fact, I think this time around, it's more that he knows something and isn't sure whether to tell me."

" What could he possibly know? Just because he travels dimensions, doesn't mean he is omniscient about the kinds of things that will go on here."

" Remember what Eriol said when our son was born?"

_Our son?!_ Sakura freaked. This was too weird!

" He said our son was destined for greatness through impossible trials."

" Don't remind me."

" What if Syaoran is supposed to go through dimensions?"

Dream Sakura sighed. " The Dimension Witch. Apparently I will be seeing her soon. I've been having dreams about making a deal with her, and handing over my star wand."

" For what? You actually asked for something?"

" I don't know! It hasn't happened yet!"

" Well, I hope we don't get tangled with her." Syaoran was starting to look worried. " She's involved in a huge conspiracy plot, so I hear from my relatives. If we're supposed to be in it, I don't know."

" What exactly did your relatives tell you?"

" Something about cloning. Lots of clones. That was what one of the elders kept saying. And Fei Wong Reed, supposedly some relative of Clow." Syaoran shook his head. " But this is all supposed to take place years from now."

Dream Sakura sighed. " I hate premonitions."

Syaoran smiled. " Ah well." He said. " Keeps us on our toes, I suppose."

" Did Sakurazaka do anything else other than inquire after our son?"

Sakura again started at the term, but by then she had accepted the fact. Here, at least, she and Syaoran are married and have a son.

" He wanted to see how I was doing." Syaoran replied. " Said we should have a drink together at some point."

" With him hunting that vampire boy? I don't know. Doesn't seem likely."

" I said the same. He just laughed." Syaoran shook his head. " I wish he would settle his issues with that Subaru. I wonder how he betrayed him."

Sakura woke.

This was actually the first dream in which Sakurazaka Seishiro was ever mentioned. It seemed, though, that Sakurazaka and Syaoran were on good terms here. _Oath of brotherhood, _or something like that. That meant they were good friends, right? And Dimension Witch? Fei Wong Reed?

" Fei Wong Reed?" Kero sleepily answered on the phone when Sakura dialed the Tsukishiro's. She had called there rather late in the night, but feeling incredibly disturbed by the dream, felt it was important enough to wake Kero and possibly Syaoran. " Never heard of any Fei Wong Reed. Certainly doesn't exist in our dimension. Dimension Witch? Heard of someone named Ichihara Yuko…they call her the Stealer of souls, because often people would go to her with impossible requests and she would demand equally impossible payments. You don't want to get into any deals with her; she's incredibly unrelenting and always only looks out for her own best interests. Why? She talked to you in your dreams or something?"

" Iie…" Sakura frowned. Considering this was in an alternate future, perhaps she should not worry overly much about this. But on the other hand, why was she dreaming about these things if she was not supposed to do something?

" Don't deal with her as long as you don't have to. That's the rule we usually follow." Kero yawned. " She's fair, I hear, but fair isn't always good for you, you know."

" Hai…" Sakura agreed, troubled.

oO

Syaoran was tired of getting sick, but it seemed the colder it got, the sicker he became. He was soon coughing and always feverish and extremely weak.

Still, the same will that saved him when faced against four sorcerers kept him moving through December. Lebedeva saw the boy getting weaker and weaker and spoke to Terada, but what could they do, with the child's mother supposedly sick and dying?

Syaoran, for his part, was not aware that he was slowly dying, and though Kero was worried, Kero did not understand the boy's sickness either. Syaoran kept insisting it was merely a cold. He went about his daily business, determined to keep everything normal and not realizing he could die from his own neglect as well as from the others who were after him.

December twenty-fourth was looming, and the evening before, Yukito was due back in Tomoeda. That afternoon, as it was a Tuesday, Syaoran was given another leave of absence from soccer practice because he was coughing too much. Most of the students were getting worried about him, and some believed that his mother was dying.

_Too late. _Syaoran thought to himself, but he willed himself to look forward and not sink into mourning again. Tomorrow, Yukito was due back, and Syaoran intended on buying ingredients to make Yukito pork buns using the money he won from the competition. He was going to make them from scratch–the best kind. Kero went with him in his backpack as he bought the supplies, along with some juice. It was all incredibly heavy for the boy, but he managed to get everything home, with Kero eventually coming out to help when no one was looking.

" Yukito would be just as happy if you didn't cook him anything, you know," Kero remarked to Syaoran. " You really should rest. I really don't like that cough."

" It's just a cold, Kero-chan," Syaoran said lightly, struggling not to cough to ruin his point. " Really, you're making a big deal out of this."

" Are your lungs supposed to rattle when you cough?" Kero asked. " That never happened before. And it never happened with Sakura either."

" I don't know." Syaoran admitted. " Different colds have different symptoms, I heard."

After entering the house, Syaoran took a twenty-minute break before preparing the dough and mixing the filling.

" This is going to be great." He kept saying. " Yukito is going to love it. Yue will too, I expect."

" Kid, there's really no need for you to please Yue. He's ridiculously difficult to please. It's because he's a prick. You know what a prick is?"

" Well it doesn't matter, because these buns are going to be great." Syaoran did a little hop of excitement. " Whenever my mother made these, everyone in the clan would kind of swoop in. Then she taught me how to make them. You can't buy these in Hong Kong if you can make them, because the ones in Hong Kong are kind of shady." He did another little hop. " Yukito's going to love these. Especially, through all the stress of college. He's always so busy, you know that?"

" Hai,"

" And what better to welcome him home with than home-made buns?" Syaoran took a small break. " Argh, stirring didn't use to be this hard."

" I'll help." Kero snatched the bowl before Syaoran could protest.

" Yukito-san is coming home!" Syaoran chanted with genuine joy. " And so is Kinomoto-san. This is going to be a great Christmas and New Year. You know, I used to hate Christmas and New Year, because every year we'd have to attend this huge banquet the Li clan hosts, and there's no way to avoid the other kids. The food was good, but everyone keeps ignoring me. Usually we hang around for about half an hour before going home and having our own little party, but we have to show up at least. Eek."

Kero did not comment.

" How's that?" Syaoran took a small bite of the raw meat. " Eck, needs a little more soy sauce." He spat the meat into the garbage can. " Think this is enough for both Yukito and Touya and everyone? Don't go eating all of my buns this time around, Kero-chan!"

Kero, who had long decided his appetite was not as important as the boy's health, merely glared indignantly in his direction.

" I won't touch your precious buns." Kero said wryly.

" Oh I don't mean that," Syaoran winked. " I just meant you can't have all of them, ne?"

" You're really confident these buns are going to come out great."

" Oh come on." Syaoran pouted. " I'm trying not to be nervous. This is the first time I'm making them on my own."

An awkward silence fell. Feeling it was not wise to apologize, Kero kept quiet and continued stirring the meat.

oO

Fujitaka drove Sakura over to the bus stop where her brother and her guardian were waiting. Touya loaded his bags into the trunk in a little bit of a huff, with Yukito following calmly behind. They then got into the back.

" Konbonwa!" Sakura reached over to grab her brother's hand and give it a squeeze in greeting.

" Hey Kaijuu," Touya squeezed back in return. " You've gotten heavier."

" And taller," Sakura slapped the back of his hand, causing her brother to laugh. " How did everything go?" She then asked. " Trip was okay?"

" Slept through most of it." Touya shrugged. " Brain's still fried from the stat final. Genius over here had his last final yesterday, so he could recover. This isn't fair. You're the engineer. You're supposed to do more brainwork."

" I did." Yukito replied. " I just happened to have them all crammed into the first week of finals, unlike you."

" Akira-chan's not here because he doesn't want to fill the car too much, and he's at home preparing some surprise for you guys." Sakura grinned. " Kero's helping him. So we're taking the liberty of heading over to your place, Yukito-san."

" Sure." Yukito shrugged, wondering idly what Syaoran was doing. " How is he?"

" He's okay." Sakura frowned. Figuring Yukito was going to learn this anyway, she added, " He's been coughing a lot lately. It's weird."

" Oh yeah." Touya frowned, having heard Syaoran cough over the phone. " Squirt's _still _coughing? How long has it been, two weeks?"

" Some colds last long." Sakura shrugged.

" Oh," Touya suddenly remembered something, " Otou-san, day after Christmas some friends and I from the high school are going to go hang out in the city. They threatened to stalk me to Tokyo if I don't meet up with them."

Fujitaka chuckled. " That's fine. So long as you're here for Christmas. Yukito-san, are you going as well?"

" Iie." Yukito sighed. " Figured I might as well spend some more time with Li-san. Though I am scheduled to meet up with them again next weekend."

" Nice." Sakura smiled, looking over at her brother. " Oni-chan, you gained weight."

" Oh be quiet, you!" Touya glowered at her, causing Sakura to laugh.

oO

Sakura was the first one of the group at the door when Syaoran opened it, followed by Fujitaka, so neither noticed the look of shock from both Touya and Yukito when they saw Syaoran for the first time in weeks.

" Hey!" Syaoran said brightly, coughing a little. " I made about a quarter already. I'm still making the rest, but come on in!" Kero fluttered to his shoulder.

" Smells delicious!" Sakura headed inside, and Fujitaka followed suit. Touya glanced at Yukito, who had turned pale, before heading in as well.

" You look horrible." Touya whispered to Syaoran when the others were busy marveling at how tasty the buns looked. " Are you feeling alright? This doesn't seem like a normal cold." He felt Syaoran's forehead. " You're burning hot."

At this, Syaoran faltered a bit, and coughed once before staring a little despondently at Touya.

Yukito, who had ignored the buns to focus on Syaoran's pale complexion, also felt Syaoran's forehead.

" What did you do to yourself?" Yukito gasped. " You weren't like this when you were in Tokyo!"

" Yukito-san!" Fujitaka called, having heard nothing of the conversation, " Come! I'm sure you'll like these!"

" Ano, right," Yukito did his best to summon a smile on his face. He wondered if the two Kinomotos noticed at all.

It was soon apparent that they did; Sakura tried to do everything she could to keep Syaoran from exerting himself, and Fujitaka boiled some herbal tea for Syaoran for what seemed like no reason. Syaoran, for his part, though visibly weakened, was still as amiable and relatively light-hearted, tackling the making of the buns enthusiastically.

_He is fading. _Yukito thought to Yue. _We took him for granted. He's going to fade and it won't be because of other sorcerers._

Yue did not reply.

" Yukito-san?" Syaoran placed some buns in front of Yukito. " I made these just for you, you know? Tell me what you think?"

It was delicious, and Yukito told him so, but there was a bitter taste in his mouth despite it all, that intensifies whenever he looked at the boy.

" You've got to do something." Kero suddenly popped by Yukito's shoulder to whisper to him. " I don't think ten-year-old boys are supposed to look like that."

Yukito's eyes narrowed. He was going to have a talk with the child when the party is over.


	21. Chapter 21

The Key

Chapter 21

" What did I get myself into," Seishiro muttered as he tore the gauze off and tied it tightly, " Surely a mere child cannot be worth all this."

Yuko merely looked at him through the mirror.

" You are enjoying this too much." Seishiro remonstrated. " Who gave you the right to watch this as if it were some opera?"

" If you do not want me to watch," Yuko replied, " Simply close off the connection. Why do you maintain it if you do not want me to get involved somehow?"

" Because you are useful, in your own way." Seishiro strapped his sword back on. " And usefulness is something we all strive to achieve, these days."

" True." She was not offended by his words.

" So tell me, what are my options, that you see? Forrest Mir is as good a match as any, and he is targeting the boy in order to kill him. I am slowly running out of time, and he is slowing me even further."

" You could pay the price," Yuko tilted her head, " And I can get rid of the vampire twins for you. Then this issue would be settled."

" The price is too high. I am not willing to pay."

" Then you have to go through this." Yuko tilted her head the other way. " Either way, you pay some price. It is the way of the world."

" And the child? What price did he pay? What price is he paying?"

" None, to me at least." Yuko replied. " For now, he owes me nothing. And if his soul persists, he will never owe me anything. Li Syaoran was supposed to be adamantly against my character, and ultimately he surrendered only because Kinomoto Sakura was not quite as unyielding."

" That Kinomoto Sakura no longer exists, to my misfortune." Seishiro said wryly. " If she did, her cards would probably be easier to obtain."

" But then you would have to deal with their son, which is quite another matter." Yuko looked at Seishiro. " I know one thing. The life of this boy and the Card Mistress are tightly intertwined. Now that they are partnered in this fashion, you must get through the boy in order to get through to her, and it is the same the other way around for the other sorcerers. You disrupted their cohesion temporarily and exposed the Key to vulnerability that one time, but it will not happen again. In fact, I am rather impressed at how you completely ruined their cooperation and caused the child to be so grievously injured."

" Be impressed all you want, witch." Seishiro turned around. " I have a trap to plant. I just want to know what price you would exact to keep the child in good health."

" Your affection for him." Yuko said instantly.

Seishiro turned around to Yuko. " You imagine I feel anything for this child."

" Oh I know you do." Yuko smiled. " But if you would like to believe that you do not, that is your choice, as always. In any case, the reason this boy does not have to fear you is because of your regard for him, and the reason you are asking to keep him in good health is fueled by the same thing. Nothing less will help him. Although," She tilted her head again, " I must confess I am disappointed you had to ask. I would expect the Moon Guardian to take better care of his charge."

" Tell me about it." Seishiro turned to the door again. " I go now. You are intrigued enough to keep an eye on this boy either way, are you not?"

Yuko chuckled. " You know me too well. Best of luck to you."

oO

" Akira," Yukito sighed after everyone else left. It was truly a great welcoming feast, which made he feel all the more ill at ease, " The buns were good, I wasn't talking about the meal." He took the boy's hands in his own. " I'm thinking about staying home for a semester."

" Huh?" Syaoran blinked. " Were the classes that bad? I'm sure you did fine…"

" This isn't about classes." Yukito resisted the urge to sigh again. From behind Syaoran, Kero scowled, before deciding that Yukito was better than Yue. The other guardian floated out of the room to give the two some privacy. " Well," He decided, " It is."

" You shouldn't. You're doing fine! You told me you got nineties and such. Why take a break when you're in good shape?"

Yukito worried his lip as he regarded the small child. " Syaoran, you'll come to me when you need anything, right?"

Even Syaoran's good mood could not hide his perception. " What do you mean?" He asked, afraid that Yukito thought he was hiding something and would get angry. " I never lied to you."

Yukito paused at this. " I never said you did." His look became stern. " But you obviously have."

The sheer panic flashing through the boy's eyes had him soften his expression again. " Syaoran, I'm not blaming you for anything. I care about you. And I'm worried. Have you been eating properly?"

" Hai."

" That's a lie."

" Iie, it isn't!" Syaoran was stunned at this accusation. Why was Yukito saying all these things?

" Syaoran, I'm not mad, I'm worried!" Yukito tried to clarify. " Yue is worried too. You're sick, you're ill, you're tired, don't think we can't see that! And we have to talk, Syaoran, really _talk_. Because this isn't working."

Syaoran burst into tears. What did Yukito mean? What wasn't working? Was he no longer allowed to live here? Where would he go? He had tried so hard to be good!

Yukito dropped to Syaoran's level and quickly embraced him. " Syaoran, hush, shhh, look, that wasn't what I meant, whatever you were thinking—this is all coming out wrong—look, I want to stay home to take care of you, alright?" He sighed. " There's obviously no fooling you here. I want to take care of you, to make sure you're okay, because for god's sake it's not practical for me or Yue to protect you all the way from Tokyo. And…you're not well. You were never well. It was foolish of me to think you can be here on your own."

Syaoran had gone quiet, and Yukito began rocking him so that the boy felt disoriented, though strangely, comforted at the same time.

" You're a good kid." Yukito felt the need to say. " You're a good kid. I am so glad you're alive, you know that? So glad you're okay—but you're not okay. You're thin, you're sick—you're unhappy and you're constantly worried about what the future holds for you, and what you're going to do at present."

" I'm scared!" Syaoran sobbed. " I miss Mother, I miss my sisters, I miss my home, my room—"

" I know."

" I don't want Seishiro to take me, or those people after the crystals—I'm scared of what they might do—"

" I know Syaoran." Yukito hugged him tightly.

" No one liked me, no one cared about my except Mother and sisters—"

" We care about you." Yukito kissed Syaoran's wet cheek. It was hot and flushed. He should get Syaoran to bed. He moved an arm down and lifted Syaoran up. Syaoran grabbed on to Yukito tightly.

Kero looked extremely annoyed at Yukito as the two went up the stairs. He did not say anything, but Yukito knew the guardian was unhappy with what was going on. The guardian then floated into Syaoran's room to wait for him. Yukito set Syaoran down upstairs. " Go take a shower." He said to Syaoran, wiping at the tears still streaming from the child's eyes. " Get to bed. We'll talk more tomorrow, alright? You're sick and you need rest."

" I'm not sick." Syaoran protested, frustrated that this was what Yukito had come home to.

" Syaoran." Yukito reprimanded sternly. " Do as I say."

At that, Syaoran had no choice but obey. It seemed like he had the flu, so Yukito went downstairs to get some medicine for that. He was suddenly struck with the thought that had he studied medicine instead of engineering, he would know what to do better now.

Too late for that, though.

" Nice going." Kero muttered unhappily when Yukito entered Syaoran's room.

" You were supposed to look after him." Yukito gestured. " What happened?"

" I only tried to tell you a hundred times! But iiieee, studies are more important!"

" You surely didn't need my help for this sort of thing! It was simply a matter of feeding the kid when he is hungry and giving him medicine when he's sick! That was what the medicines in the cabinets were for, that was what the money I kept sending him were for."

" Hai, well, the kid is terrified of Yue. You hear that, you baka?" Kero was careful, though, to keep his voice down so the boy could not hear him. " He is determined to give everyone _as little trouble as possible._ And if Sakura's habits are anything to go by, I would say the idea that sustenance and the like being necessary for _staying alive_ have totally escaped the brat because he was so overwhelmed with how much of a jerk you were."

Knowing that Kero referred to them both, Yukito protested, " Kero, I'm eighteen."

" You'll be nineteen in a few days!"

" Kero, I'm a teenager. Yue has never taken care of kids. And neither have you."

" I don't have hands, genius!"

" Well I've never had to deal with anyone with no survival instincts, alright?" Yukito glared. " Don't take this out on me. And for the record, Yue was _not_ an absolute jerk to him."

" Then what's with being too busy to bother hearing if something's wrong with him?"

" Because _you _were the jerk when I left." Yukito pointed out. " We both figured we'd hear nothing but nag nag nag from you. Since Syaoran sounded fine, I decided to forego it."

Kero was silent. " This is ridiculous. We're _guardians._ We were supposed to _work together._"

" Hai, well, it's a learning process for all of us. I didn't realize the kid is so _stubborn!"_

" Oh he is." Kero fluttered around angrily, then transformed into his true form to stalk back and forth. " No doubt about it."

Syaoran came into the room, looking despondent, though he was no longer crying. He looked very drained. Yukito had been sitting on Syaoran's bed—he patted the covers to indicate Syaoran should get in. Syaoran did so waveringly. He was exhausted, and nearly fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

" Not yet. Here. Take these." Yukito ordered.

Again, Syaoran silently obeyed.

Yukito stroked Syaoran's hair. The boy needed a haircut. " Thanks a lot for the welcoming party." He said gently. " I never had anyone do that for me before."

Syaoran merely looked confused. He was not sure whether he should be relieved now or cautious.

" I know a lot of work went into it." Yukito went on, " And…well, we'll talk tomorrow, alright?"

Kero crawled onto his bed, in his true form still, outside the covers. Syaoran instinctively snuggled close to the warmth. Yukito patted his shoulder as the boy fell asleep, then rose to turn off the lights. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

oO

With both her guardians taking care of Syaoran, Touya was realizing why Clow decided to create two guardians instead of just one.

" I used to think he had parenting in mind, the two versus one thing." He muttered. " There any way you can avoid getting hypnotized without them around?"

" I can maintain a shield." Sakura tossed out. " I'm not sure how effective that would be, and it could be very draining. So far Akira-chan has the other half of the book though, so I can't even use the cards."

" You sure he can't just take yours first and then go get Akira's?"

" That's the nature of the Twin Card. He'd have to take them both at the same time."

" So every time you and he are together you run the risk of it."

" Akira-chan is immune to mental spells, remember?"

Touya still did not like it.

Outside the night was dark and silent. It was very late—most were asleep, or trying to. The moon peeked through the shutters on the window. Sakura was flat on her stomach on one side of the bed—Touya reclined against the bed frame on the other. He patted Sakura's head, thinking morosely about Syaoran, and how Sakura could easily have been in his position, without family and protection and unable to take care of herself. Supposing, he thought, that Sakura was not Card Mistress, that she did not have Yue and Kero, what if something happened to him and Otou-san? Sakura might live with Tomoyo. But she was so small. It was a chilling thought. One he thought of many times already, ever since Syaoran came into their lives.

" It's getting late." Touya told his sister. " Go to bed."

" Hai." Sakura climbed off. " Good night, Oni-chan."

Touya waited until she left the room before reaching for his phone and dialing Yukito's number. Yukito picked up after two rings, sounding like he rushed to get it.

" Yuki," Touya greeted, " You okay buddy?"

" Hai." Yukito began. " Iie." He then said. " What do you think?" He asked testily. Clearly, he was distressed.

" Yuki—"

" What utter rot, who was I kidding? _As long as he's alive."_

" He is though, that's really the main thing."

" Barely!"

" Calm down. You're home now. You can set things right."

" I think I'll take a semester off."

Touya did not reply to this.

" He's only going to stay until—did we _never _receive word from Eriol?"

Touya sat up abruptly. " Think we forgot about him. He certainly never called the kaijuu, else she'd have mentioned it."

" Oh crud!"

" Look, kaijuu's probably not asleep yet." Touya ran out the door and into Sakura's room, where the lights were still on. He burst in without knocking. Sakura had just put on her pajamas.

" Oni-chan!" She cried, dismayed. " Ever heard of knocking?"

" Call Hiirigizawa."

She froze. " Oh."

Wasting no time, she dialed the long-distance number. This time, instead of simply reaching his voice mail, she received a message saying the number was disconnected or out of service.

She hung up instantly and called Mizuki. Kaho's number was also out of service.

" Something happened." Touya told Yukito, as Sakura looked up at him with horrified eyes. " I think Eriol is dead."


	22. Chapter 22

The Key

Chapter 22

" Planting traps won't work. Kinomoto and Tsukishiro will not be coming back to the university this semester."

Seishiro jerked up. There was a boy, pale, with glasses, leaning against the doorframe. The dorm room was tiny, so Seishiro had no clue how the boy managed to come in without him noticing at all.

" Who are you?" Seishiro asked, suspecting that this child was more than he appeared.

" A friend of the Key." Said the boy. " You are one of the few not after him for that. That makes me your friend."

Seishiro rose slowly from where he had been incanting. He stared at the boy warily.

" How did you know that?" He asked. " I sense no magic in you."

" I used to have magic." Said the child. " Then I lost it…or it lost me—glass is half full, half empty sort of thing." He tilted his head. " I could show you my true form as well, but in this manner I can approach the Key without alarming him."

Seishiro frowned at the choice of words.

" Unfortunately for me," The boy continued, " Someone else has adopted the same strategy."

The tall sorcerer debated whether or not he should try to make sense of this intruder, or ignore him and hope he goes away. Making sense of the boy seemed to be playing into his game, but ignoring the child seemed equally unwise.

" What's your name?" He finally asked.

" I have several. Which one do you want?"

_He's offering me. _Seishiro suddenly realized. _Offering me a hint. Which one do I want? _" The one you're most known by." He replied cautiously.

" Clow Reed." Said the boy. " I lost my magic then much earlier, before I obtained this form. One could say, I am still not really Clow Reed, but souls are souls, after all."

_Eriol Hiirigizawa. _Seishiro instantly knew. " You're dead."

" Very much so."

" Why are you here?" Seishiro asked. " As you said, I'm not out to harm the boy. Maybe toy with him a little," He cocked his head, " But not kill. What do you want?"

" I want the child to be happy." Said Eriol. " To thrive, to prosper, and perhaps more, to survive. The forces of magic had held itself back when there were two points of attack. Now there is only one. The greed of the world will be unleashed on Tomoeda. Kinomoto and Tsukishiro will not be coming back to school this semester."

Seishiro frowned. " You're saying they will die."

" Hopefully not." Said Eriol. " But they'd have enough at home to keep them occupied."

" Is the child in danger?"

Eriol smiled wryly. " When was he not?"

Seishiro was not sure how to reply.

" What do you want from _me, _exactly?" Asked the living sorcerer. " I can't imagine you would just come here to offer me free information. You know what I want with the boy."

" You want to take him with you." Said Eriol easily. " Hai. I know."

" Then you know I am hardly your ally."

" On the contrary." Said the ghost. " You are more of an ally than most. You might not think so, but in reality, you are one of the few who are truly on his side."

" I am on no one's side but my own." Seishiro retorted.

" So you say." Eriol answered. " Keep in mind, either way—the boy is tough, but even diamonds can be crushed under the proper weight. Some soft lining can go a long way."

Seishiro turned away, a little disgusted. He hated when people start randomly spewing poetry. " I know the kid's having it rough." He said. " But that's hardly my concern. My aim is to—" But as he turned back, he realized the ghost was gone.

_Just as well. _Thought Seishiro. It was not like he intended to answer to the dead until he had truly joined them.

oO

What struck Yue was how little Eriol's actual death affected him. At the first few moments when he heard the news, his first thought had been that all the attention Eriol had been drawing away from Tomoeda will now center here. He had gone to Syaoran's room where the boy had quietly sobbed, and gathered the bewildered child into his arms.

He felt lost. But not pained, not really. He had expected Eriol's death to affect him greatly—after all, it was like Clow Reed dying all over again. But yet it was not quite the same. The truth was that Yue had barely come to grasp Eriol's true identity before the sorcerer had passed away. That brief moment when Eriol had regarded him, eyes full of wisdom like his old master's had been, seemed to be a fleeting dream.

That did not mean he was not frightened though. Frightened for Syaoran, and for Sakura, but mostly for Syaoran. Because Sakura had a way out. Sakura merely had to move aside, out of the field, and she would be safe. Syaoran had nowhere to run.

Syaoran, baffled by Yue's uncharacteristic gesture of affection, was too shy to comment or ask questions. For nearly two hours, they sat in silence on his bed, Syaoran cradled in Yue's arms and Yue thinking, thinking about how they were going to live now.

Sakura needs to remain normal. The girl was smart and resourceful, so she could handle her own. Syaoran, on the other hand, might need to withdraw from school. And so would Yukito. It would be conspicuous, but safer. They might have to move and join the Kinomotos. United, they have a safer barricade against other sorcerers, and Yukito and Akira can also drop off the map. Yukito does not exhibit magical auras. If no one sees him, no one can locate him. The same went for Syaoran.

" Syaoran," He finally began, in a voice that came out surprisingly gentle and tender, " There have been some developments."

For a moment he was not sure how to proceed. Should he tell Syaoran that Hiirigizawa is dead? Perhaps not. It would only cause the boy to feel misplaced guilt.

" We're going to have to make some changes to how we do things, alright?"

The boy nodded eagerly, and anxiously. Yue tightened his hold on the child, to remove any potential fears that the boy might be thrown out of the house. He had a feeling it did not work, because Syaoran was still very nervous. His little body was tense and taut, like a spring being stretched and ready to release.

" I'm going to take you to the Kinomoto's, alright?" Yue could sense the child's heart plummet. " We're going to see if we cannot move in with them. But this bears discussion, from all of us. Just hang on, alright? Hold tightly to me. I will fly us over. Do not be afraid."

This hardly encouraged the boy, but he did cling on to Yue like a lifeline, and Yue could almost hear the question marks popping in the child's head as he took care to fly in the shadows, out of sight. Over at the Kinomoto's, Fujitaka, groggy-eyed, was already expecting them, along with Sakura and Touya and Kero. The lights were off, though Fujitaka had opened the door for Yue.

Sakura was worrying her fingers with her teeth. She was having a hard time coping with the fact that not only must she get over Eriol's death as fast as possible, she must move ahead to worry about Syaoran. It was wretched, and she did not speak at all when the group began talking. She could not meet Syaoran's eyes. Syaoran wondered what he did wrong.

" Un, it's gonna be hell." Touya began. " We are officially in the crapper! Hey look, we're even afraid to turn the lights on. How's that?"

" You know this is necessary, kid." Said Kero, folding his little arms. " You know what this means, right Yue? You can't go running off to school now. Frankly, neither can Akira."

" What's going on?" Syaoran finally found the courage to ask.

" Things are getting worse." Said Yue non-commitally. " We will have to revise how we protect you, child. Part of this means that Touya and I may both have to take this semester off."

" Matte—why me?" Touya asked.

" Because you are a target as well." Said Kero. " By familial relation."

" Does that mean _I _also must skip work?" Fujitaka asked skeptically.

" You're less of an issue." Said Kero. " You work right here. But you'll have to plead off any traveling obligations. Same goes for Sakura—she can go to school but she shouldn't go on school trips that have her wandering outside Tomoeda. We can create a sphere of influence in the town. It's about the right size, might be a little bit of a stretch since Sakura is young. But if you go out too far we can't protect any of you individually as well, and that's gonna be bad."

" They'll definitely try to use you to get to the child." Yue added. " Sorcerers are not above that."

" It's Hiirigizawa-san, isn't it?" Syaoran interrupted, his voice small. " Something happened to him."

An uncomfortable silence fell before Sakura burst into tears. She was too young to hold it together for her friend when she was so shocked over the news herself.

Syaoran wriggled out of Yue's hold. " They're all going to come here, right?"

" We'll fight them off." Kero said quickly, and Sakura managed a very weak and shaky nod, though she could not speak. " We can do it."

Syaoran stared.

oO

Tomoyo was speechless.

" Are you serious?" She finally managed.

Sakura nodded. " So we'll have to be extra careful from now on."

_What will this do to you, Sakura-chan?_ Tomoyo thought sadly, as Sakura broke off their gaze. She saw the determined look in Sakura's eyes and sighed inwardly. Ever since the two girls met thirty minutes ago at the park, every thirty seconds Sakura was scanning the area for threats. Tomoyo was not sure how well this would work against any potential attacker, but this constant vigilance was hardly something she could argue against.

" So you won't be able to hang out as often?" Tomoyo asked, thinking about how this could severely impede on Sakura's social life.

" I'll have to stay close to home." Said her friend.

Tomoyo did allow herself to sigh, this time.

Sakura took her hand. " It will be alright." She said softly. " We'll get through this, somehow."

Tomoyo raised her head at this, thinking that once upon a time, she had been the one to assure Sakura of this. Pride mixed in with the melancholy. Whatever else, Sakura was growing into the kind of person Tomoyo both admired and respected. Someone with confidence, authority, and conviction.

But what is the price?

" So we shouldn't hang out too much after this." Sakura turned to her cousin. " Otherwise they might target you too. And I can't let that happen."

Tomoyo nodded, feeling a stinging in her eyes, but no tears formed. The truth is, she knew she had lost Sakura long ago, when the Clow Cards were first freed. This was merely a confirmation.

oO

In the days that followed, sorcerers flocked to Tomoeda and gathered like moths to a flame. They were not nearly as docile as moths though—upon seeing each other, they instantly waged war. Spells and magic started and ended their dialogue—those were more powerful than mere words, and as the flame had nowhere to run, the sorcerers were much more concerned about who gets to the Key than having the Key escape their hold in the meantime.

What followed was one of the ugliest wars the magical world had ever witnessed, but all concealed from the eyes of non-magicians. Clans, groups, masters and servants battled alike for a chance at ultimate power. The chaos was what granted Sakura peace for a while. She hardly came across magicians who were not still fighting each other, and, distracted as they were, she often made quick work of the weaker sorcerers by transforming them into cards. Flat and unusable, she did not turn them into cards to be used. Instead, they were trapped in that shape for as long as she liked, to give as little trouble as possible to the rest of the world. Sakura was in no hurry to free them.

The stronger sorcerers, unfortunately, tended not participate in the mess, opting to wait until most of the competition had settled itself. What the Card Mistress does not encounter, she could not know, so Sakura was left with the false hope that perhaps things would not be so bad.

Seishiro, upon realizing this, instantly disillusioned her of this notion.

" You are young." He said to the child as the girl walked home from school one gray afternoon. Upon hearing his voice, the child instantly froze, but Seishiro went on in the same manner, " No matter how safe you think your town is, you should still take care to observe your surroundings more."

" I can see what you mean," Sakura replied cautiously, referring to the fact that she had not noticed Seishiro at all, until the man had spoken. " What are you doing here, Sakurazaka-san?"

_Very civil._ Seishiro thought. Syaoran had found himself a sorceress almost as smart as he was. " I can't stand to watch what is going on." He replied. " You think turning everyone into cards would settle everything?"

" I was not aware you would be opposed to such a solution." Sakura replied in a language that sounded far more advanced than her age normally would use.

" Oh, not the solution itself." Replied Seishiro. " In fact, given the nature of your magic, it is quite fitting. But you do tend to rely on it too much. Have you thought of other alternatives, yet?"

Sakura looked like she would very much like to turn _Seishiro _into a card—an attempt that would fail, but would prompt Seishiro to forego mercy in favor of simply killing the girl. The only reason he is letting her live is because Syaoran cared emotionally for this child, but Syaoran hardly needed _her _to stay alive, and if Sakura proves unfavorable to his chances, Seishiro had no qualms eliminating her and taking Syaoran for himself, emotion or not.

Sakura was a lot smarter than that, however. " Are you saying it won't work on everyone?" She guessed.

_Well,_ Seishiro admitted to himself, _the girl is pretty bright as well. _And who was he to not respect intelligence?

As soon as the thought resonated in his head, however, Seishiro immediately sensed the arrival of a magical being. More than one, he suddenly realized. He turned when he noticed that the girl sensed their arrival as well. She was slightly more concerned with whose side he was on at the moment, however, which was probably wise. Therefore, when the intruders revealed themselves, Seishiro did not draw his sword.

_Time for the damsel to show what she's got._ Thought the sorcerer, as he sensed the girl's eyes move from him to the others in trepidation. She had not summoned any cards yet, perhaps wary that he might try to steal it in the process.

In fact, however, this group was targetting Seishiro.

" You!" Cried one of them, a heavily cloaked figure whose robes flapped in the wind, frosty with snow. " You've been slinking about this place! Tell us your name!"

" Why should I?" Seishiro returned. " You have not told me yours."

Sakura was standing very still. Probably wise, as if she moved at all, they would definitely notice her. It was possible they were currently so focused on Seishiro that they have not seen her yet, or considered her a potential target. He could sense her getting ready, however, to either flee or fight—whichever the situation merited.

" You do not belong in this realm!" Cried another sorcerer. " You are the intruder! Leave at once, or you will have us to deal with!"

_Interesting._ " Why should you care?" Seishiro asked calmly. " I can go where I please."

" You will not have the Key." _Ah, there it is—how predictable. _" If you do not leave at once, we will not be so civil!"

Seishiro lowered his head and looked at the girl from the corner of his eye. " Go to your friend." He said to her quietly. " I will handle them. Protect him best you can."

With that, he drew his sword. " So be it." He said.

Sakura jumped back as soon as he drew the sword, which instantly attracted the attention of the sorcerers. One of them instantly shot a spell at her, but Seishiro was ready for it. He blocked it, crying out, " Go! _Now!_"

Sakura did not hesitate. She disappeared in a flurry of wings into the sky. Seishiro turned to the sorcerers with a fiendish grin. A kind of thrill went through him. He had not felt battle fury in a long time, and it was strange that he was feeling it now—but it was splendid.


End file.
